The Nazgul Slayer
by Annielle
Summary: At a young age, Elleniel was separated from her twin brothers and brought to Valinor to be trained to destroy the Nazguls. Now a powerful witch-warrior, she is back in Middle Earth to accomplish her mission. Glorfindel/OC NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1  The Bue Istar

**Title: The Nazgul Slayer**

**Author: **Annielle

**Summary:** Elladan, Elrohir and their twin sister Elleniel were separated at a young age. Elleniel was taken by the Istar wizards and brought to Valinor to be trained to destroy the Nazguls. Centuries later, now a powerful witch-warrior, she is back in Middle Earth to accomplish her mission. Will she manage to eliminate the ringwraiths, conquer Glorfindel's heart and forgive her father Elrond?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Lord of the Rings and any of its characters.

**Warnings: **Alternate Universe, some content not suitable for minors.

**Cast: **Glorfindel, Elladan, Elrohir, Elrond, Erestor, Mithrandir

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1 – The blue Istar<strong>

The nights were getting colder, especially in the North. The Dunedain rangers were gathered around the fire, enjoying its warmth while they were discussing the orc attack from the previous day. Other rangers had arrived at the camp earlier, and they were eager to hear about the battle.

Elladan and Elrohir were sitting a little away from the fire, as elves were not feeling cold like mortals did. When he was done settling his men, their brother Estel came to sit beside them.

The twin brothers greeted the Dunadan that had been raised in Imladris by their father Elrond. The elves were calling him Estel, the rangers called him by his birth name Aragorn, while the rest of Middle Earth knew him as Strider.

"I am happy to find you here," Estel whispered to them. "I have to tell you about a strange encounter I made in Bree about a month ago. I was staying at the Prancing Pony, sleeping quietly in my room, when I suddenly woke up and felt the urge to go in the forest. It was an irresistible pull, I had never felt such a thing before."

"Were you able to resist it?" asked Elrohir, wondering how strong Estel's mind had been against this strange pull.

"Absolutely not! An hour later, I was walking deep in the forest, until I saw a cloaked figure in a small clearing. _Welcome, Aragorn, son of Arathorn, _the person told me in Westron. As I got closer, I realized I was facing a powerful wizard. He was radiating magic, the magic that had called me in that clearing and was keeping me from leaving or attacking him. I have since then determined, after much thinking on the events, that I had met a blue Istar."

"A new blue Istar arrived in Middle Earth?" replied Elladan. "Radagast the Brown and Gandalf the Grey did not mention it the last time we saw them. Are you sure?"

"Positive. Although I have not seen the wizard's face, his stature and voice led me to believe this Istar has not taken the shape of an old man like the others. But it was a blue Istar, I can swear it. He gave me a missive, and I saw his hand was glowing blue when he gave it to me. This was certainly due to the magic he used to lure me there. The sealed missive itself was glowing blue, full of enchantment."

"What was the missive about?"

"I do not know. It was magically sealed, the wizard told me. Only its recipients can open it."

"Who are the recipients?"

"You!" replied Estel, taking the missive out of his tunic where he had been keeping it in the past month.

Elladan and Elrohir watched the missive in amazement. Estel was right, there was a light blue glow to it. They looked at each other for a second before Elladan extended his hand and took it from Estel's. Immediately, the missive stopped glowing. He broke the seal, and started reading the letter, his brother Elrohir reading over his shoulder.

Estel watched them as their faces became white, then red. Elrohir looked like he was going to fall, and Elladan steadied him before it actually happened. They both sat there, in silence, frozen, incapable of any movement. Estel took the letter from Elladan's hand, but the writings immediately disappeared.

"I knew it! Finally!" Elrohir said to his twin after a few minutes. "After all these centuries of separation, we will..."

Elladan put his hand on his mouth to stop him from finishing his thought.

"Estel, thank you for bringing this missive to us. I am afraid we have to leave immediately."

"Will you not tell me what this is about?" asked Estel, worrying for his adoptive brothers.

"One day we will, but it is not possible at the moment. Do not worry for us, brother, you have brought us good news."

Elrohir started gathering their weapons and various belongings while Elladan got their horses ready. The Rangers looked at them with surprise, wondering why the elves were leaving them so abruptly, but their leader Aragorn silenced them with his hand. They watched as he accompanied his elvish brothers to the forest line, and gave them his farewells.

* * *

><p>Lord Elrond was on the balcony of his private apartments, watching Imladris as it settled for the night. Most of the houses were now dark, indicating that their inhabitants were asleep. In his own palace, the servants were finishing their duties, and most guests were in the Hall of Fire, where minstrels were still playing music. Elrond had retired for the night early, restless and anxious for a reason he could not explain. It had started a few days ago, when his sons had arrived in Imladris months earlier than expected. Their orc chasing mission with the northern rangers, that had been supposed to last until the following spring, had been cut short and they did not give him any explanations. They were strangely distant with their family and friends. Elrond had asked the commander of his guard, who had been their mentor in weapon training, to see if he would be more successful. Glorfindel could only confirm Elrond's suspicions. The twins were hiding something, something important, but they would not tell anyone. Elrond had asked Glorfindel to watch his sons closely, and to report anything irregular.<p>

Elrond was about to go back in his bedroom when he saw two cloaked figures run from his house to the forest line. His sons. He recognized their gaits, their Lorien bows tied on their backs, and the closeness they shared when they moved together. When they disappeared in the woods, another cloaked figure left his house. Elrond smiled with satisfaction. This time, he had recognized the figure of Glorfindel and his golden hair coming out of the hood. He had no doubt his commander would bring him answers in the morning.

* * *

><p>Glorfindel knew the twins' tracking skills were outstanding. They would hear or see him is he got too close, and so he followed them from at great distance. He lost their trace twice. <em>These elflings will not get rid of me so easily,<em> he thought.

Glorfindel had been born in the first age, had died following his victorious fight against a balrog, earning his name _The Balrog Slayer_, and had been reembodied in the second age. Few elves of Middle Earth were as venerable and full of wisdom as he was, and the twins, although almost three millennia old, were still elflings to him.

He finally found them. They were on the river bank, pacing as if waiting for something to happen at that exact spot. Glorfindel hid behind a bush, on a hill located on the other side of the river. He settled down and started waiting like his former pupils.

After an hour, he saw movements in the trees nearby where the twins had finally decided to sit. They had seen it too, and stood with their bows, ready for an attack. A single figure finally appeared, another cloaked warrior. Glorfindel could see his bow and the hilt of his sword. The new warrior did not draw his weapons, and simply watched the twins, who eventually dropped their bows.

Glorfindel could not believe what happened next. Elrohir started walking towards the new warrior, and crushed him against his chest. Elladan shortly followed, pushing his brother aside and taking the newcomer in his arms.

Elves accepted sexual preferences without any judgement. Like most of his kin, Glorfindel had had both male and female lovers in his long existence. But not Elladan and Elrohir. As far as he could remember, the twins only had had female lovers in the past. Seeing them with a warrior was a first, but was it enough to justify this secrecy? They had no reason to be ashamed.

The newcomer was the same height than the twins, but was less solidly built. He had his back to Glorfindel, who could not see his face, but his hair was raven black like the twins. Glorfindel decided to watch a little more, and if things were getting too hot by the river, he would give them some privacy. The trio sat and started talking animatedly, all three holding hands incessantly and touching their faces as if making sure they were real.

It lasted for hours. Glorfindel could not hear a word, and was getting bored. He was about to leave them be when the trio stood and started gathering their weapons. They stood facing each other, obviously hesitating on how to say farewell.

Once again, Elrohir was the first to move. He took the warrior's face in his hands, and kissed his lips softly. The kiss quickly became deep and feverish. During that time, Elladan had moved to the back of the warrior, and was caressing his shoulders and kissing his ears. Elrohir moved away, and Elladan took the warrior's mouth too. Glorfindel was aroused by the view, and remembering to give them privacy, started to leave when he realized the trio had separated, and that the twins were leaving to go back to the city. The warrior watched their departure, and when they were out of sight, he turned to where Glorfindel was hiding.

_Can he see me? _he wondered. The warrior went back to the forest where he had come from, and Glorfindel was able to leave his cover. He walked back to the city distractedly, wondering if he should report this to Lord Elrond or not.

He stopped dead in his track when he saw the point of an arrow right in front of his nose.

"Who are you? Why are you following the sons of Elrond?" asked a threatening voice.

Glorfindel watched in amazement as the warrior that Elladan and Elrohir had met was now facing him, still cloaked.

"Are you deaf or a simpleton?" he asked again.

Glorfindel had heard the twins ask this question numerous times to their enemies, and he wondered how well this stranger knew them.

"I am Glorfindel of Gondolin, Commander of the Imladris guard."

"The Balrog Slayer in person? Lowering himself to the role of spy? I would be ashamed if I were you."

Under the disapproval, Glorfindel blushed with anger. Who was this ellon to judge him so hastily?

A bird cried in the night, and the warrior dropped his guard for half-a-second. This was enough time for Glorfindel to take control of the situation. He punched the warrior hard in the stomach, and pushed him to the ground, where he crushed him under his weight.

The hood had fallen, and Glorfindel realized he had attacked a female, before he got violently projected against a tree, hitting his head hard.

When he regained consciousness, he was tied to said tree. He tried to free himself, but the rope became tighter.

"It is enchanted," said a voice behind him. "The more you struggle, the tighter it gets."

Glorfindel immediately stopped moving. The female walked around the tree and stopped in front of him. Now that he had seen her face once, she had dropped her hood.

Glorfindel watched her features eagerly. He had not imagined what he had seen before. She was a female version of the twins. Same eyes, same features, but with a feminine touch. Glorfindel always had thought Elrond's sons were exceptionally gorgeous. A dark kind of beauty, enhanced by their warrior skills and aura of mystery. But this elleth... she was magnificent. Arwen Evenstar's beauty faded in comparison.

"I repeat my question. Why were you following the sons of Lord Elrond?"

"I do not have to answer."

"No, you don't. But are you ready to face the consequences?"

He held her cold gaze for the longest time. He started worrying when a cruel smile appeared on her face, and that her right hand started glowing blue.

"This is your last chance, Glorfindel of Gondolin. Will you take it?"

"I am not afraid of you." Truth be told, he was a little, but he was not going to admit it.

"How courageous you are, Commander," she said in a seductive tone, her face getting much closer to his. Her left hand started caressing his face, and she gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"It is a shame to damage such a handsome face," she continued. When she applied her glowing right hand on his forehead, he felt a burning sensation.

"What did you do to me?" he screamed, struggling while the rope became even tighter around his chest. The reminder calmed him immediately.

"I gave you what you deserved!" she replied. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Glorfindel of Gondolin. Farewell!"

She left him tied to the tree, alone in the middle of the forest, his forehead painful and his arms and shoulders stiff.

* * *

><p>Elrond was worried. His sons had shown up at breakfast, but Glorfindel was nowhere to be found. When he also missed lunch, he knew something had happened. He asked Erestor to organize a search party.<p>

"Our Commander left the palace last night, on a mission for Lord Elrond. He was last seen entering the forest. He should have been back by now, and we are afraid he might have encountered a party of orcs," Erestor told the guards.

He saw the sons of Elrond pass by, and called after them.

"Lords Elladan and Elrohir, will you not join the search party?"

"When and where did Glorfindel disappear?" Elrohir asked.

Erestor repeated the story for their benefit. The twins looked at each other, and told Erestor they would participate.

When the guards started to divide the search area, the twins made sure that the area where they had been last night was allocated to them.

They heard his curses first. They entered a small clearing and found him, tied to a tree. Glorfindel looked at them expectantly when he saw them. They were the last ellyn he would have liked to be saved by under the circumstances, but his whole body was painful, and he was hungry and tired.

"Will you not untie me?" he asked immediately. "I have been attacked by a witch! I have to report this to your father!"

"Would you say she attacked you, or that you offended her in a way or another?" Elladan asked smugly.

"Elladan Elrondion, untie me immediately! I am still your Commander!"

"I rather like what she did to your forehead," added Elrohir.

"What did she do?" Glorfindel asked.

"It is nothing but the truth, though," commented Elladan for his brother's benefit. "Let's free him so he can go discover the extend of her sense of humor."

They untied him, and Glorfindel massaged his painful limbs.

"You can go now, I can manage from there."

"Oh no, Commander, we have been asked to find you and bring you back to the city, and we will see this mission through."

_They want me humiliated. They know I have been sent to watch them last night._

They did not exchange a word until they reached the palace, where everyone was staring at Glorfindel in disbelief. He was wondering what was wrong with his forehead, but was too proud to ask, and acted as if all was well until he got introduced in Elrond's office.

* * *

><p>Elrond was working with Erestor when his chamberlain announced the arrival of Lord Glorfindel and his sons. He dropped his feather and sat back on his chair, relieved to hear his commander was safe and sound.<p>

Their eyes grew wide when they caught a first glance of Glorfindel. On his forehead, engraved in a way that must be very painful, were three letters. SPY.

"Glorfindel!" cried Elrond, standing. "What happened to you? Did my sons do this to you?"

"No, my Lord. Your sons did not do this." He kept to himself that the twins had tried to ridicule him. He would make them pay later.

"Who did this then?" asked Erestor.

"A witch that is wandering about in our woods, my Lord."

The twins snorted loudly.

"Yes, Adar, a terrifying witch. A dark witch that came back from the dead!" Elrohir said, on a somewhat menacing tone to his father. Elrond sat down, astounded, speechless.

Glorfindel was watching the scene in bewilderment. Elladan was now hovering over Erestor, who couldn't hold his gaze.

"So she is back," Erestor simply said to no one in particular.

"Yes, Councilor, she is back in Middle Earth!" Elladan confirmed.

"And now, she is being sent on a the most dangerous mission you can imagine. It is folly. I hope you both are proud of you!" continued Elrohir. "Needless to say, forgiveness is impossible. We are going back with the Dunedain tonight. At least, with them, we have found an honesty that doesn't exist here in Imladris."

"Farewell, my Lords." Elladan added formally. They both bowed to the three lords, and left Elrond's study.

Glorfindel watched as Elrond and Erestor tried to comfort each other. The Lord of Imladris was breathing with difficulty, and Erestor called the chamberlain so he could ask for a calming herbal tea to the healers.

A healer soon arrived with the tea, and made sure Elrond fell asleep before he was brought to his bed. When the healer noticed Glorfindel's forehead, he left the room and came back with various potions to wash it and treat it. Once he was done, Glorfindel went to a mirror to look at himself, and was horrified to see he would forever have a scar that declared him as felon spy.

"Maybe Mithrandir can do something about it," offered Erestor.

Seeing Erestor was slowly recovering from the shock, Glorfindel sat beside Elrond's bed, where the councilor was sitting.

"Who is she, Erestor?"

"Elleniel. The third child. They were triplets, did you know that?"

"Yes, I had heard. But did she not die at a tender age?"

"That was the story we invented. Only Elrond and Celebrian, Saruman and Mithrandir, and myself know what really happened to her. Although I am sure Galadriel and Celeborn know the truth. And now the twins. We ceaselessly told them she was in the Halls of Mandos, but they never believed us. They kept saying they still felt her fëa. They were right. She was alive."

"What happened to her?"

"I am not sure I can tell you, my old friend."

"Tell him," Elrond, now awake, said with a weak voice. "It is time for the truth to come out."

"During her pregnancy, Lady Celebrian kept saying she was feeling strange. That something was happening in her stomach, but she couldn't quite describe it in words. Mithrandir was called for support. When he arrived in Imladris, Lady Celebrian was ten months into her pregnancy. He asked to touch her stomach, and she accepted. She undressed in front of him and Elrond, and Mithrandir put his hand on her belly."

"Immediately, we saw her stomach jerk, as if a child was moving violently inside her womb. Her skin started glowing a light blue, on the exact spot where his hand was," started Elrond. "He left his hand there for some time, and when he removed it, he turned to my wife and I with a strange air. He announced that a powerful elfling was in her stomach. That the only time he had felt such a thing was when Galadriel's naneth was pregnant. But even then, the surge of power he had gotten was weak as compared to what he had just felt."

Lost in his memories, Elrond stopped talking, and Erestor took over.

"Elrond was uneasy to say the least. Lady Celebrian was comfortable with the thought, having been raised by Galadriel herself, she was not scared at all. She started talking about her little wizard, convinced she was carrying three sons."

"You knew there would be three elflings?" asked Glorfindel.

"Yes, I could clearly feel them when touching her stomach," replied Elrond. "The birth was long and painful, but Celebrian eventually gave me Elladan first, then Elrohir. Elleniel came quickly after. Celebrian was so happy to have an elleth. At the beginning, the triplets could not stand being apart, so we got an enormous crib and the three of them slept together. After a month, we still had to determine who was the wizard or witch between the three. Things were happening around the crib, but which one was doing them? Erestor suggested to separate them until we found out."

"lady Celebrian took Elladan to her room, Lord Elrond took Elrohir in his study, and I brought Elleniel in my own study. And we waited," said Erestor. "The ellyn woke first, and started to cry. They were inconsolable. But Elleniel was still sleeping. When she woke and saw she was alone, she started crying softly. But after an hour, she seemed to realize her brothers were not coming back. She became angry. She was glowing! Things started to fly everywhere. My books, my ink bottles crashing on the floor and walls! I cried for help! I had found the witch!"

"During the first few years, everything went well. At least when we did not irritate Elleniel. She was getting everything she wanted from everyone," continued Erestor. "The triplets were extremely close to each other. They were touchy, if you see what I mean. When they reached the age of twenty, Lady Celebrian warned us that she was not comfortable anymore with how the triplets were behaving with each other."

"What was wrong?"

"One evening, she went to Elleniel's bedroom for a goodnight kiss. They were all sleeping in the same bed."

"Was that wrong?" asked Glorfindel.

"Not in itself. But she had also caught them... kissing."

"Kissing?" asked Glorfindel, in need of clarification.

"Deep, open-mouthed kisses. We did not know what to do. I asked them what they thought they were doing. I explained it was wrong between siblings. Elladan told me the fëa they shared was reinforced when they kissed like this. Once again, we called Mithrandir for help. He confirmed that since they shared a fëa, this fëa was being stretched to its limits by being split into three elves. The triplets needed to reinforce it regularly, like mates strengthen their bonds when they make love. Celebrian asked if they would ever go one step further, and have sex together. Mithrandir was affirmative. If we wanted to avoid having bound brothers and sister, we needed to separate them immediately."

"We had to choose," Erestor took over, "and I am afraid I did the choice myself. I told Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrian that Elleniel was the issue. That if we sent away Elladan or Elrohir, nothing you stop the remaining male to bind with her. Shortly after, Elleniel was sent for a horse ride with Mithrandir. They met with Saruman, who kept Elleniel's power in check while Mithrandir came back to Imladris to announce they had been attacked by orcs. That was all we found to explain the lack of body."

"Funerals were organized, and our grief was genuine, since we had no idea when we would see her again. Mithrandir left shortly after, bringing Elleniel to an unknown destination. To this day, he never gave us any news about her. He only said she is still alive."

Erestor was done with the story. Glorfindel was shocked that such a secret could have been kept for so long, without having an impact on the family, and he voiced his thought.

Elrond snorted. "Glorfindel, this family has never been the same since her departure. Celebrian missed her daughter dearly, and Arwen did not compensate for her absence. A new child will never replace the lost one. When Celebrian was attacked by orcs, she started fading, thinking she was living the fate we had created for our own daughter. She sailed to the Undying Lands shortly after. Arwen moved to Lothlorien and was raised by Galadriel. The triplets became the twins. They always said they did not believe that she was dead, that they could still feel her fëa. They looked for her all over Middle Earth, but with no results. What they did not know was that we are responsible for the situation. All these millennia, they thought she had miraculously escaped an orc attack. You saw their reaction today, once they learned the truth from her. I am afraid I have lost them all now."

"We will find a way, my Lord," Erestor said. "We can call Mithrandir. He will help us see clearly."

Elrond agreed. He then turned to Glorfindel. "How is she, Glorfindel? My daughter. Please tell me."

"She is the most beautiful elleth I have ever seen in all my existence. Believe me, I do not exaggerate. She looks unnaturally like Elladan and Elrohir, in a softer version. Although when I have seen her, her expression was not soft. She was more... coldly angry, I would say," he added, pointing to his forehead.

Elrond insisted to hear the whole encounter, and when Glorfindel was done, he was dismissed so he could go rest and have dinner.

"The prospects are not too positive, my old friend," Elrond said to Erestor who had remained with him.

"I wonder what is this dangerous mission that Elrohir was mentioning."

"Erestor, I need Mithrandir here quickly. Please make sure he is summoned here immediately."

"I will, my Lord."

* * *

><p><strong>Please review and let me know if you have enjoyed the first chapter!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2  First kill

_Chapter 1 ended with:_

"_Erestor, I need Mithrandir here quickly. Please make sure he is summoned here immediately."_

"_I will, my Lord."_

**Chapter 2: First kill**

Another day or so, and Elleniel would arrive to the ruins of Osgiliath. Before reaching the abandoned city, she would go East towards Minas Morgul, fortress of the Nazguls. Her plan was simple: she would get close enough to their citadel, show her presence and hope that one of them would be sent to eliminate her.

It would be her very first battle with the enemies she had spent centuries training to destroy. Elleniel was eager to test her skills, and terrified at the same time. Absolutely terrified. The Nazguls were invisible to the eyes; only the other ring bearers could see them. Elleniel, unlike her father Elrond and grandmother Galadriel, did not have a ring. If she was lucky, her opponent would appear with his cloak, or with a sword, at least. Otherwise, she would have to entirely trust her wizard senses.

Elleniel had been riding all day, following the Great River. She decided to stop for the night, and took care of her mare Ithil. She had named her after Minas Ithil, the former name of Minas Morgul when founded by Isildur himself, before it was taken over by the Nazguls. Elleniel hoped the mare's name would prove a good omen for her, and help her reestablish Minas Morgul as a Gondorian city, once the war was over.

Ithil was starting to show signs of exhaustion after travelling every day for many weeks. _Maybe I should rest here for a few days_, Elleniel thought. _If I am successful in eliminating a Nazgul, I will need a refreshed horse to escape the others that will without a doubt follow me. Escaping will not be possible if Ithil has not recovered from this journey._

Her decision taken, Elleniel found a little clearing in the forest, and set her camp for a few days. She had some lembas left, but not much. She decided to hunt and have a hot meal for once. She shot a partridge with her bow, and picked some mushrooms. Half an hour later, she was enjoying some campfire cooking, like in the old days with Oromë.

Thinking of Oromë made her think of his wife Vana, and how she had been overwhelmed when Elleniel had arrived in Valinor. How she had been removed from Imladris and forced to go to Valinor was still fresh in her memory, like it was yesterday. She had followed Mithrandir for a horse ride near the waterfalls, at the border of her father's realm. There, Mithrandir had met Saruman the White, and they had whispered to each other for a long time while Elleniel was playing by the river.

"My child?" Saruman had called Elleniel. "You are a very powerful little elleth! Would you like to stay with me for a few days? I could teach you some very interesting magic!"

Elleniel had been interested by his proposal. The only two other wizards she had met were Mithrandir and her grandmother Galadriel, and she was not seeing them regularly. Furthermore, none of them really had spent time explaining to Elleniel what her powers were and how she could control them. It was an unprecedented offer for her, one she had decided to accept immediately.

But Saruman had not kept his promise. He had never shown her anything. He had taken control of her mind, and had made her feel an overwhelming numbness that had made her follow each of his commands. They had travelled by horse to the Grey Havens. Mithrandir, who had joined them on the way, had made arrangements for a ship to bring her to Valinor. Radagast the Brown, another Istar wizard, was to make the journey with her.

She had been alone with Saruman for long minutes before boarding. Under the strong hold he had been keeping on her mind, all Elleniel had been able to do was weep and ask for her brothers and parents.

"Stop thinking of them, little Elleniel. They were afraid of you. They wanted to be rid of you. They are celebrating your departure as we speak, my child."

"You are lying!" She had continued weeping, unable to fight him, whether physically, mentally or magically.

"No, I am not. Do you not remember your Adar and Naneth looking at you with worry? They were afraid of what you would become. This is why you are being sent to Valinor. To grow older and become an Istar like us. This is your destiny. Forget your parents, forget your brothers, for they will forget you soon enough. Did you know that your Naneth is already pregnant? It will be an elleth. She will replace you quite beautifully," Saruman had said, giving Elleniel the last blow.

The young elleth had fainted, and only had woken up when the ship was far from the coast. Radagast's hold on her mind had not been strong enough, and her anger and pain were terrible. She called for a wind storm, to bring the boat back East. They had fought with storms and winds of their own for days, to the terror of the crew. But eventually, Elleniel's powers had faltered, inexperienced as she was. And the ship had reached the coast of Valinor, where a welcoming party of Queens of the Valar had been awaiting her.

Vana, the ever-young queen who made flowers spring and birds sing by her simple presence, had been particularly enthusiastic at the thought of having a little elleth as companion. She had promised herself many hours of pure joy walking and singing with Elleniel in the gardens.

Nienna, the mourner who felt pity and compassion for all beings, had promised herself to comfort Elleniel, whose grief she could feel even before the boat had cast anchor.

The ship, with an exhausted Radagast on board, had sailed back to Middle Earth as soon as Elleniel had touched the ground.

Elleniel chuckled at the memory of the disappointment of the two queens. There had been no peaceful walks in the gardens, no philosophical discussions about grief and hope in the Halls of Nienna. There only had been a revolted elleth, screaming for her brothers, breaking everything that was left near her, and using her powers to restrict access to her own person.

She had spent days in a confined room in Vana's palace, with no food and water. Elleniel had decided to let herself fade, and had been hoping it would not take too long. She had not been able to handle the thought of her family rejecting her in such an ignominious way.

And then, Oromë had arrived. Oromë, the Lord of the forests, the Huntsman of the Valar, husband of Vana, who had come to her aid. Through the door, he had spoken to Elleniel of a fate, of the possibility of becoming a witch-warrior who could kill Sauron's most terrifying slaves, the Ringwraiths. He, along with Tulkas, the Champion of the Valar, could become her tutors. He had given her one day to think about it and answer him. At the end of that day, she had come out of her room, a different elleth. Hard-heated and aloof. She had sworn to herself that she would not let anyone ever hurt her again.

She had spent the following centuries in the forests with Oromë, learning to track and hunt, to kill her preys with her bow or spear. It had been an austere life, sleeping outdoors, eating their preys and washing themselves in the rivers. Oromë had also helped her develop her powers. Once in a while, they would go visit his wife Vana, who had finally forgiven her the destruction she had caused in her home centuries before.

After a millennium with Oromë, he declared he had taught her all the knowledge that would be useful in her future endeavors. Tulkas had then taken over her warrior training. Tulkas had been pleasant to live with, always in high spirits, especially after winning a fight. He had been an unbeatable warrior, and Elleniel suffered much under his guardianship. With him, she had learned hand-to-hand combat, sword and knife fighting, and had much improved her physical shape.

One day, Nienna had come to her with some sad news. Her mother Celebrian had arrived in Valinor, to recover from an orc attack. She had been tortured for days, and her father Elrond had only been able to cure her body; her soul had been shattered beyond his healing powers.

Elleniel had refused outright to go see her. After all, this was the elleth who had sent her away from her family and brothers. Elleniel had many qualities, but easy forgiving was not part of them.

She had trained even harder with her mentor, to keep her mind away from the thought of her naneth living near her. After 500 years of training with Tulkas, she had finally beat him in sword fight for the first time. She had been so overjoyed by her achievement, she had decided to go walk in the gardens of the city of Valmar. She had been walking in the aisles when she had seen an elleth sitting on a bench, her golden hair shining under the sun. Elleniel had immediately recognized her mother.

"Elleniel, my child!"

Elleniel had stopped walking away, but had not turned to face her mother.

"I have waited for you a long time. I always hoped to see you again. I miss you so!"

"My Lady, if you did not want to miss me, you only had not to send me away from Imladris!"

"I have regretted this decision all my life, Elleniel. We have caused you and your brothers an unbearable grief."

"How are they?"

"I left them well, Elleniel. They are longing for you. They still share one fëa with you."

"I know. It has not been easy living without them... I have to go."

"Will I see you again, my child?"

"I cannot tell. I will go back to Middle Earth eventually."

After this ice-breaking meeting, Elleniel had started participating more in the social life of Valmar, no longer afraid of meeting her mother. She had attended a few gatherings, but mainly stayed apart from the rest of the crowd. The elves had been slightly scared of her, her warrior training and how she glowed when using her magic. As a consequence, during these social events, she had kept to herself, walking around and listening to the conversations of the ellith, mainly relating to the dearly missed Lord Glorfindel of Gondolin. The Balrog Slayer had left Valinor in the second age, on a mission to protect her father's family. _He has not been able to protect my mother, _she had thought one day, tired of hearing about his multiple talents and qualities.

Motivated by her lucky win against Tulkas, Elleniel had trained even harder, knowing somewhere in Middle Earth, her brothers were still waiting for her to come back. After another few centuries, she had been able to win against Tulkas about one time out of four. It had been deemed enough to defeat a Nazgul, and Elleniel had started preparing her return to Middle Earth.

She officially had been made an Istar of the first level. Elleniel the Blue. Oromë had tried to convince her that she was far beyond the blue level. As a child, she had been as powerful as Radagast the Brown. Elleniel had refused. If she survived her mission, she had no intention of staying part of the Istar order.

* * *

><p>Elleniel woke up before the sun, at least this was her assessment, as the sun could not be seen anymore above Mordor. This was the big day. The day she would fight her first and hopefully not last Nazgul. She was too nervous to eat anything. She had let Ithil free in the woods, knowing the mare would come to her if she called her. Elleniel had then journeyed by foot in the mountains encircling Mordor, and had stopped last night.<p>

From the place where she had spent the night, she could see Minas Morgul. The sight was both beautiful and terrifying: the fortress had a beautiful architecture. The view would have been spectacular if the castle had been as white as Minas Tirith, especially under a bright sun. But Minas Morgul's walls were glowing green. Only a being with a death wish would approach it.

Elleniel's plan was very simple: send a ray of her magic on the front gate, and then... escape. The Nazguls would feel the Istar magic and come after her. No orcs would be sent after a wizard, they were too stupid.

She started to slowly gather her powers, and was about to project a ray when she suddenly felt something behind her. She dodged at the last second, avoiding being beheaded by a sword. She jumped back, drawing her blade at the same time, and realized she was being attacked by a Nazgul. She could feel his presence, but he was invisible to her eyes since he was not wearing a cloak. She could only see his sword, a few feet away from her.

From the way the sword was standing in the air, this Nazgul was right handed. _Always watch the sword hand, at least two Ringwraiths are left handed, _Tulkas had told her. _We assume they wear their ring in their dominant hand. In order to destroy a Nazgul, you need to cut his ring-hand. The ring will then appear, and you must destroy it immediately. And run before another Nazgul arrives._

The Nazgul seemed to take some time to analyze her before attacking. Elleniel lit her sword with some magic of her own she had developed with Oromë, ensuring the sword could cut Nazgul flesh. When her sword started emitting blue light, the Nazgul started laughing.

"You think you can kill me, she-elf?" he asked in the black speech. "No Istar can kill us. Too bad you will not be able to tell the others..."

And the sword suddenly moved towards her, and once again, she avoided the blow, throwing herself on the floor and hitting the air where the Nazgul's feet should have been, but missing him. They fought for long minutes. Elleniel was starting to get used to his sparring style, although fighting with an invisible opponent was the most difficult thing she had ever done. But luckily, this Nazgul was not the best warrior of the nine, and she knew she had a chance.

She only had finished that thought when she felt searing pain in her right arm. The damned creature had hit her, and blood immediately started soaking her sleeve. Elleniel kept fighting with her left hand, but she had more difficulty on that side. She only had a few minutes left before she became too exhausted, and it was her last chance before the Nazgul killed her.

When he approached her again, she dodged the blow by throwing herself to the left and dropped her blade violently above his. Immediately, his sword fell and he started screeching dreadfully. On the ground, she saw a ring beside the sword. She kicked the ring a few feet away so he could not grab it before her. She ran towards it as the Nazgul was snatching his sword to kill her, still screeching for help to come from Minas Morgul. Kneeling on the floor, she used her blue sword to sever the ring on the ground before he could hit her again. He immediately vanished from Middle Earth, but his sword did not, and it dropped directly on Elleniel's left thigh. She screamed in pain, watching the blade in her leg and the blood flooding the dirt.

She could not just stay there and wait for another Nazgul to arrive and finish her off. She clenched her teeth and removed the blade from her thigh. The wound was gruesome, and she tried to close it magically, but it did not work completely. There had been some black magic in this blade, and she would need time to remove it from her body.

She took the Nazgul's sword and his ring, now broken in two pieces, and started climbing down the mountain with difficulty. She did not know how long before the other Nazguls showed up on the scene, but she would bet it could be counted in minutes. Indeed, she could already hear the main gate of Minas Morgul slowly opening. Someone or something was coming after her.

She redirected her steps North-West, hoping to reach the forest where Ithil was waiting for her. She was exhausted and in pain. She started to realize that she would not be able to escape the other Nazguls, not at that pace and with the blood she was leaving here and there. They would easily find her, still so close of Minas Morgul. No, she could not escape. Her only chance was to hide and not use any of her magic at all, since they could obviously sense it.

She tore pieces of her blue cloak and covered her wounds with tight bandages. She cringed under the pain, but it was necessary if she wanted to stop leaving blood traces behind her. She resumed walking, hearing the screeching voices of the Nazguls far behind her. She had little time left to hide, and very little energy. She started to run down the hill, lost her balance and fell for what seemed the longest time. Her fall was abruptly stopped when she landed right arm first on a rock. She saw stars before she lost consciousness.

She woke when she felt someone shaking her. She opened her eyes, and saw an old man bending over her.

"Elleniel?" he asked, concerned.

She lost consciousness again. She could not fight the dark magic that was invading her mind and body.

* * *

><p>When she arose again, she was in the forest, and the same old man was taking care of her wounds.<p>

"Who are you?" she asked. "Where did you take me?"

"We are in the forest of North Ithilien. And who I am? You know who I am, Elleniel."

She took a good look at the man, his grey threadbare cloak, his beard and blue eyes full of wisdom.

"Mithrandir?"

"Yes, child. Can I ask what you were doing so close to Mordor?"

"I am on a mission."

"I know what your mission is. I do not think Lord Oromë and Lord Tulkas would be proud to see you got yourself wounded by orcs with poisonous blades!"

She cringed when he did something rather painful to her thigh.

"I think I was able to remove all the poison. Elleniel, you are lucky the Nine did not catch you. If I had not been around..."

"Not the Nine," she said through gritted teeth, "you can call them the Eight now."

The grey wizard immediately stopped cleaning her wounds, and looked at her.

"You did it? You killed a Nazgul?"

Elleniel pointed at her backpack, from where the hilt of a blade could be seen. Mithrandir brought the bag closer, and took out the dark sword.

"We should destroy it!"

"Quite the opposite. I intend to use it in the future. This blade screams Nazgul a mile around! Imagine fighting orcs with this blade! Or another Nazgul..."

"You are wounded from your encounter, and you already think of fighting another one?"

"This is my mission, Mithrandir, just like yours is to find the one-ring and ensure it gets destroyed."

"Speaking of ring, did you take the Nazgul's?"

"Yes, I have it in my pocket." Elleniel took out the pieces, and gave them to Mithrandir. "You can keep it. I already have the sword."

"We have to be on the move. I cannot seem to be able to close this wound properly. Maybe I could... cauterize it? But it would leave a nasty scar, Elleniel."

_Who cares,_ she thought. _It's not like I have potential mates lining up. All the ellyn I have ever met are scared of me._

"Do it," she said.

* * *

><p>They had been travelling in silence for many days now. Elleniel was grateful that he had saved her and taken care of her wounds, but she remembered he was one of the wizards that had taken her away from her family.<p>

Mithrandir had been watching her all this time, waiting for her to finally explode and tell him what she really thought about her fellow Istari. But she was strong-willed, and in the end, he had to start the conversation himself, one evening around the campfire.

"Elleniel, I have been summoned to Imladris. Can you guess why?"

"No."

"Before you started your mission, did you... meet your brothers?"

"Yes, I did. Not that it is any of your business. We are grownups now, you cannot dictate if we can see each other... or not."

"You are right, Elleniel. We cannot anymore. But please believe me when I say it was done for your own good."

She stood, her anger clearly showing on her face. She was literally glowing blue, and he knew she could attack him anytime. He decided not to put any protection up, to show her he was not scared and that he did not feel guilty about anything.

"How can separating me from my brothers have been for our own good? Did you not know that we share one fëa? Can you just even begin to imagine how it feels to have your soul stretched in three beings?"

"This is why we did it, Elleniel. We were convinced you would eventually figure out how to make your fëa whole."

"And how would that be?"

"We thought you would bind with your brothers."

"What? You are a sick old man!"

"Your parents saw you kissing, Elleniel."

"There is a world of difference between kissing and having sex! The kissing brings us a little comfort and allows us to bear this burden more easily! But do you think that we do not know what the only solution is? Other than your disgusting one, which we will never do? We know that if one of us fades or chooses mortality, then our fëa will only be split in two instead of three."

"What are you planning to do?"

"Elladan wants to sacrifice himself and become mortal. Elrohir and I are against it. We both know he wants to stay an Eldar. So... I will accomplish my mission. Chances are... I will be killed and the problem will be solved, to my father's pleasure, without a doubt."

"Why do you say that? Your father misses you dearly."

"He sent me away like I was infected by the plague! He replaced me with Arwen, the Evenstar of the Elven people!"

"What are you talking about? Who told you he sent you away and replaced you? Are you mad?"

"Our leader, Mithrandir. The great and ever compassionate Saruman the White," she sneered.

"Elleniel, what he told you, I do not know. But I can tell you this: we had to force your parents into this decision. It took me months to convince them it was for your own good, that you would become a powerful wizard and warrior if they let you go. Elrond was destroyed, and so was your mother. Do not blame them. They were as much a victim of this than your brothers and you."

"You know what? It does not matter. I do not need a family anymore."

"You are condemning yourself to a life of solitude."

"And that is the life of an Istar, as it was chosen for me."

She sat down, and stared at the fire, completely ignoring him.

"Elleniel... about your fëa... there is another solution. You could take a mate and bind yourself to him. I am sure the bond would cut your link with your brothers."

"Or... we could be four sharing one fëa, making matters even worse. I will not take the chance, but thank you for your concern. Anyhow, this is a useless discussion. Ellyn are scared of me. Just like no one in their right mind would wish to mate with an Istar like Saruman or you."

"You are not a normal Istar, Elleniel. You are a female."

"Are you suggesting that I mate with another Istar? Perhaps Radagast? Or the wonderful Saruman?"

"What is it that you have against Saruman, Elleniel?"

"I do not trust him. And so do you, it is useless to deny it. I can see it in your face each time I pronounce his name."

"You are right, I have my suspicions. But do not change the subject. I would never suggest that you mate with another Istar. What I meant is that I am sure we can find an ellon in Middle Earth that will not be terrified by the blue fury that you are. Like... the Marchwarden of Lorien. He is a pretty strong ellon. Or... Lord Glorfindel in Imladris."

Elleniel snorted. "Yes, Glorfindel of Gondolin. Watch his forehead next time you see him."

"Why?"

"You will see!"

"Elleniel, I think you should come with me."

"To Imladris? Certainly not! I have eight more Nazguls to kill. I have to stay around Mordor."

"That would be suicidal. They now know that you exist. You must hide for a while. If you are lucky, they will eventually come out of their fortress, looking for you or for the ring. And you will be waiting for them."

"I see your point. But I am not going to Imladris."

* * *

><p>As they were travelling together, they spent countless hours discussing strategy for her mission, his suspicion that the One Ring had been found, although he did not tell her where he thought it was. He had spent weeks making researches in the library of Minas Tirith to find information about the ring. Elleniel was so eager to listen to his conversation full of wisdom, that she followed him on his journey North. When he went East in the mountain pass, she was still at his side.<p>

When they were a day away from Imladris, she refused to follow him any further.

"Wait for me then, Elleniel. I might have a mission for you once I am done with your father."

"Do not take too long. I do not like being around these waterfalls. They awake bad memories."

* * *

><p>The Imladris elves were having dinner when the arrival of Mithrandir was announced. The conversations became much more animated, as the presence of the Istar meant they would get news from all over Middle Earth. To their dismay, at the announcement of the wizard's arrival, their Lord requested for Mithrandir to be send to his study, and was followed by his councilor and his commander.<p>

The three ellyn walked quickly to the study, where Elrond took a seat and started to nervously play with his feathers. Erestor was not any better, walking around the study ceaselessly. Glorfindel had never seen them in such a state, but he understood their apprehension. For his part, he was happy to finally hear about the witch he had met in the woods, and was impatient to have Mithrandir remove the shameful word she had engraved on his forehead.

When Mithrandir was introduced, he immediately felt the tension in the room.

"Mae govannen, my Lord," he said, bowing to Elrond. "Good evening, Lord Erestor, Lord Glorfindel."

Mithrandir eyed Glorfindel's forehead, and smiled.

"Nice seeing again, Mithrandir," answered Glorfindel when he realized Elrond and Erestor were speechless. "Please have a seat."

After a few moments of silence, Lord Elrond finally found his voice back.

"Mithrandir, my daughter is in Middle Earth."

"I know."

"I trusted your word when you said she would become a powerful wizard. You have always refused to tell me what happened to her in the last two thousand years. But no more. I want to know what happened to her, and what she is doing here, on a mission my sons qualified as dangerous."

"I can answer all your questions, my Lord, now that she is back in Middle Earth. Let's start from the beginning. The day your daughter left Imladris, she was brought by Saruman to the Grey Havens. Radagast and I met them before her departure. She was... destroyed emotionally. Radagast made the journey to Valinor, where she was trained by Lord Oromë and Lord Tulkas. Trained to accomplish a mission that will help make Middle Earth safer: destroy the Nazguls."

"I am sorry. Did you just say she has to destroy Sauron's Ringwraiths?" asked Glorfindel in disbelief. He had killed a balrog, and had lost his first life in the process. Nazguls were no less dangerous.

This was worse than anything Elrond had imagined. He now understood why his sons were so angry with him. They must have thought he was aware of this plan.

"How long did you plan this? Since the beginning? Or was it a decision of the Valar?" he asked the Istar.

"From the beginning. Ever since I saw her as an elfling. Saruman and I knew she had power greater than Lady Galadriel's, and that she had the physical strength to become a warrior. The perfect combination. An unprecedented opportunity for us. She trained for two thousand years to become the most dangerous warrior we have seen in ages. She is now a Blue Istar."

"I refuse. She cannot possibly kill a Nazgul. I order you to release her from her mission and let her come back home. "

Mithrandir chuckled. He took out an object from his pocket, and put it on Elrond's desk.

"Did you just say she cannot possibly kill a Nazgul?" he asked.

Elrond looked at the object, and realized it was a broken ring of power, one of the nine rings that had been given to Men. He did not dare touch it, but looked at the wizard questioningly.

"She killed a Nazgul by herself weeks ago, my Lord. She gave me the ring to prove it."

"Is she unhurt?" asked Erestor.

"She recovered from her injuries by now. I found her right after the fight. Her wounds were turning black due to the poison on the Nazgul's blade. This is an issue Lord Tulkas did not think of."

"Who was going to help of each time she gets hurt?" completed Glorfindel. "Because she is still an elf, despite all her magic. Each time, she will get hurt. There is no way around that."

"Exactly," agreed Mithrandir.

"This is why you will stop this folly, and bring her back here."

"I am afraid she will not be easily convinced to drop her mission. She is... enthusiastic about her first kill. She kept the Nazgul's blade as a trophy."

"No. Not my daughter," Elrond denied.

"This sounds exactly like the twins would do, my Lord," Erestor said. "Maybe her personality is closer to those of Elladan and Elrohir than of Arwen."

"This is exactly right, Lord Elrond. This is why she is nearby, at a day of travel or so, but refused to come here with me today. She is rather... unforgiving about the whole situation."

"I want to see her."

Mithrandir thought about this request for a moment.

"Alright. But I will make no promises on the kind of welcome you will get."

"Leave that up to me. Glorfindel, get ready, we are going to meet Elleniel."

"Wait," the warrior interjected. "Mithrandir, can you please get rid of this on my forehead?"

"I am sorry, my Lord. Only Elleniel will be able to remove the... letters. So it is a good thing you will be going with Lord Elrond to meet with her."

* * *

><p>Elrond was standing on the river bank, near the waterfalls. Glorfindel was right beside him, his sword drawn.<p>

"Put it away, Glorfindel. This is my daughter, she will not hurt me."

"Elleniel!" he called. He knew his daughter was out there, he could feel her. He could sense her fëa close by, even if he could not see her with his eyes.

"Elleniel, I know you can hear me. I am not going away. I will stay here until you come to talk with me."

The following day, he was waiting for her on the same spot. Glorfindel had gone hunting. There was no way he would let himself starve because Elleniel was as pig-headed as her twins.

"Elleniel?" called Elrond again. "I know you are still here. I cannot fathom why you will not talk to me, but I have things to say to you. I need to explain what happened."

And he started to tell her the tale of her birth and childhood. He spoke of how proud of his powerful daughter he had been, of his unconditional love for her. He explained how he had been misled about a possible binding with her brothers, and the heartbreaking decision he had taken. He told her how he had missed her daily for two thousand years. He was baring his soul for her to see his thoughts and emotions, hoping she would also open her heart to him.

"My Elleniel, please forgive my errors. My child, please, do not deny me the pleasure of meeting you."

On the other side of the river, perched in a tree, Elleniel was heartbroken by his story. Now that she knew how everything had happened, she understood the Istari had sacrificed her family's happiness for the good of Middle Earth, supported by the Valar. If she was to be angry at someone, it should be at the wizards that had forced her to become one of them.

She slowly came down from her tree. From the corner of his eye, Elrond saw a flash of blue on the other side of the river. He watched her come closer to the stream, with obvious hesitation. She was like Glorfindel had said. The resemblance with the twins was amazing. She was an exquisite elleth of incomparable beauty. She was tall, strong and intimidating, but behind the facade, he recognized the child that had spent numerous hours playing with him in his study.

He did not mind the river between them. He crossed it, ruining his boots and tunic, not willing to waste another second before holding her in his arms. He stopped two feet away from me, and took her face in his hands, analyzing her facial features eagerly.

"My daughter," he whispered, before crushing her in his arms.

* * *

><p>Coming back from a successful hunt, Glorfindel stopped dead in his tracks, surprised to see Elrond had only taken a day to make the witch capitulate. He hoped she would be quicker to convince to remove the insult she had engraved on his forehead.<p>

* * *

><p>AN: I hope you liked Elleniel's first kill. In the next chapter, Elleniel will have to take a battle companion against her will. Can you guess who it will be? ;-)


	3. Chapter 3  Companions

_Chapter 2 ended with:_

_Coming back from a successful hunt, Glorfindel stopped dead in his tracks, surprised to see Elrond had only taken a day to make the witch capitulate. He hoped she would be quicker to convince to remove the insult she had engraved on his forehead._

**Chapter 3: Companions**

Elrond and Elleniel had been sitting together for a long time. Glorfindel could not hear what was being said, but it seemed that Elrond was making most of the talking, holding his daughter's hand at all times, and sometimes taking her face in his hands and kissing her cheeks and forehead. Glorfindel had never seen his Lord so animated and enthusiastic with anyone. His daughter seemed more composed, although she was showing signs of deep emotions once in a while.

In fact, Elrond had given Elleniel news of everyone she once knew in Imladris, telling her about her brothers and the sister she had never met. Elleniel told her father about Celebrian, how she had recovered in Valinor and how she was waiting for him to finally sail. She also told him how she had purposely avoided her mother, and how she felt guilty about it now. Elrond was convinced his wife had forgiven Elleniel already, understanding how her daughter had suffered and could not easily forget.

After some time, Elrond started being hungry, and the delicious aromas coming from Glorfindel's fire cooking was irresistible.

"Elleniel, will you not share a meal with Glorfindel and I?"

Elleniel laughed.

"I am not sure the commander of your guard will appreciate my presence, Ada. Our only encounter did not end pleasantly."

"You acted childishly, Elleniel. I had sent him to investigate what your brothers were up to."

"Exactly. You sent him to spy on them," she said with humor.

"Without him, would I have known you were back in Middle Earth, Elleniel?"

"Probably not."

"Then I will be forever grateful to him to have set in motion actions that resulted in such joy for us."

"That is your point of view, I guess," she casually said.

"Please, come share a meal with me."

Elleniel was hungry, and she could see that Glorfindel had heard the last part of their conversation. He was staring at her, daring her to join him by the fire. Elleniel, like her twin brothers, was the type that always took up the gauntlet.

"Fine, I hope his cooking is better than his spying," she answered slightly louder.

Elrond held a sigh. He was starting to realize what his life would have been if he had had all three triplets in Imladris during their childhood.

* * *

><p>Glorfindel and Elleniel were barely speaking to each other. Elrond was too happy to spend more time with his daughter to complain about their antagonism. But the meal soon ended, and Elrond wondered if his daughter would accept to come back to the main house.<p>

"Will you not come back home with me, my daughter?" asked Elrond, hopeful. "There are many people that would like to meet you."

"I am sorry, Ada... I do not think that I can. Believe me, I have not practiced the role of daughter of Lord Elrond in millennia. I do not have time to train for this. I would only disappoint your people."

Glorfindel silently agreed with her. Elleniel was nothing like Arwen, the perfect hostess, renowned in all Elven realms for her sweet character and her beauty. Although Glorfindel had to admit Elrond's eldest daughter was nothing short of splendid. Were she to survive her mission, she would become a legend, just like he was. _They will probably call her The Nazgul Slayer, _the Balrog Slayer thought.

"Our people, Elleniel," Elrond had corrected his daughter in the meantime.

"No, Ada, your people. My people are the Istari now."

"You do not consider yourself an Istar, Elleniel, I can feel it."

"Then, you have discovered my secret: I do not belong anywhere," she replied with irony.

"Please, stop saying such things and come home with me."

"No, my Lord," she replied more formally. "I have a mission to accomplish. I will not visit your people until I am done."

Elrond looked at his daughter, understanding she was a mature elleth, a witch-warrior, and that he would have to be satisfied with whatever she decided to grant him.

"I am disappointed, Elleniel. But I will not insist, for I am sure you are as obstinate as your brothers."

Glorfindel snorted. Elleniel only smiled, affection for her brothers easily readable on her features.

"I would like to meet with you again tomorrow. With Mithrandir and Erestor. I would like to discuss your mission."

"You will not convince me to stop," Elleniel warned.

"I know. I want to see how I can help."

Elleniel shrugged in indifference. She could not imagine how her father could help her, but she was not going to rain on his parade.

"We will be here at noon," Elrond decided. "Glorfindel, please make the arrangements."

Glorfindel was not happy with the turn of events. He had planned to bring one of his female friends for a day outdoors. He would have to cancel.

"Where will you be sleeping, Elleniel?" asked Elrond, concerned for her comfort.

"Do not worry for me, Ada. Lord Oromë trained me well."

* * *

><p>The next day, Lord Elrond, Lord Erestor, Mithrandir and Lord Glorfindel arrived exactly at noon, near the river. Elleniel was leaning against a tree, fully cloaked, and watched them all as they get closer to her. Elleniel had very little memories of Erestor, her father's most important adviser. But as she watched him walk towards her, she remembered the endless lessons in his personal study and the pranks her brothers and her had played on the poor councilor.<p>

Elrond went to his daughter and removed the hood that was shadowing her face, showing his daughter to the lords surrounding him. He kept his hands on his daughter's face, still not believing she had returned to him.

"You are still here," he said, relieved, slowly embracing her.

Elleniel closed her eyes, and let her father hug her. She awkwardly hug him back, unused to affection displays. After her removal from Imladris, Elleniel could have counted on the fingers of one hand the number of times she had been hugged by someone. Elrond only let her go once he had felt she was returning his embrace.

"Elleniel, you remember Erestor?"

"Mae govannen, my Lord," Elleniel said to the councilor.

"By Elbereth, my child, I cannot believe I finally see you. How you have been missed by all!"

Glorfindel respectfully nodded to her, while Mithrandir gave her his usual fatherly smile.

They all sat down, and waited for Elrond to speak first.

"Mellons, you are my closest friends and advisers. As you all know, my daughter came back from Valinor. She is now Elleniel the Blue, an Istar, and she was trained by the Valar to destroy the Ringwraiths that are accomplishing Sauron's darkest tasks. She already slew one of the Nine, but was hurt during the fight. Without Mithrandir, I am not sure she would still be alive. This fact leads me to believe that Elleniel will need help in her mission."

"No one but me is trained to kill a Nazgul, Adar," she said stiffly. She was starting to understand where her father was leading, and did not like the thought.

"You are right. No one has your warrior training and your powers to fight with a Nazgul. But since there is a possibility that you might get wounded again during your mission, I would prefer if you had a companion to take care of your wounds and protect you when you are at your weakest."

"Nothing more than what I did for you, Elleniel," Mithrandir added, trying to convince her too. "I would gladly do it, but as you well know, I also have been entrusted with a mission."

Elleniel was ambivalent. She knew she would need help. Each wound received from a Nazgul blade would be poisoned. She needed someone to take care of her after the fights. Her acceptance would depend on who would be chosen for this role.

"Maybe Elladan and Elrohir could be her companions?" asked Glorfindel.

"No, my sons will be needed to support their brother Estel," replied Elrond.

"Radagast the Brown?" offered Erestor.

"He also has a mission, Lord Erestor," replied Mithrandir. "Her companion cannot be an Istar."

Then, Glorfindel realized Elrond, Erestor and Mithrandir were looking at him.

"I have duties of my own," he started to explain. "I have to lead our guard and protect Imladris, my Lord."

Elleniel could not believe her ears. Did they really think she would accept Glorfindel as companion?

"Mellon, you are the only one I can trust with this mission," Lord Elrond said to Glorfindel.

"Ada, I cannot accept Glorfindel in this role."

Glorfindel looked at her in disbelief.

"And why is that?" he asked, insulted. "I am one of the greatest warriors in Middle Earth!"

"Your warrior skills are not in question," she replied.

"Then what is it?" he inquired.

"I do not think we can get along well. Maybe my father trusts you, but I do not know you."

"With all due respect, you do not know anyone in Middle Earth."

"I believe I know one too many," Elleniel replied dryly.

The others were watching the exchange with a combination of amusement and irony.

"It is settled then," cut Lord Elrond. "Glorfindel, you will from this day on be my daughter's companion during her mission."

Glorfindel was about to say something, but finally nodded his acceptance. After all, Elrond was his Lord, and he had to comply with his orders.

Elleniel started to protest, but Mithrandir interrupted her.

"Elleniel the Blue, I am Gandalf the Grey, your superior in the Istar order. I command you to take Lord Glorfindel as companion in your mission to destroy the remaining Nazguls. I sincerely believe he is the best ellon for this role, and I hope you will realize it sooner than later."

"I only have one condition," Glorfindel said. "I want her to clear my forehead from the insult she has engraved on it."

Elleniel looked at him with arrogance. Her right hand started to glow blue, startling Elrond and Erestor who had not seen Elleniel's magic in millennia. She applied her hand on Glorfindel's forehead, and he felt once again the familiar burn.

"Let this be a lesson, Lord Glorfindel. Spying on innocent people in a naughty thing. Be back here at dawn tomorrow. Do not be late, or I will not wait for you!"

On these last words, she bowed to the rest of the group, put her hood back on, and left the riverbank to go back in the woods.

* * *

><p>The next day, Glorfindel purposely arrived late, at least an hour after dawn. He had decided that this childish elleth was not going to order him around. When he arrived near the river, Elleniel was nowhere to be found. He waited for her for another hour, until he finally realized she had left without him.<p>

He smiled ferally. If she thought he could not track her, she would get the surprise of her life. Maybe she was a better warrior than he was, but he was sure he was a better tracker!

"I will find you, Witch!" he yelled in the forest, hoping she was within ear shot.

After two days, he still had not found her.

* * *

><p>A week later, Elleniel got tired of the game, and decided to make camp for Glorfindel to finally find her. She had ridden south in the forests of Hollin, still unsure if she would go back to Minas Morgul, or remain on the West side of the mountains for some time. She surprised herself when she wondered what would Glorfindel's opinion be on the matter. <em>That is, if he ever finds me, <em>she thought.

Dressed only in her leggings and undertunic, she took her elven blades and started her practice routine, skillfully fighting invisible opponents for two hours. Then, she trained with her sword, much heavier than the carved blades. After a while, she started feeling his familiar presence miles away from her. He had been a better tracker than she had thought after all! She kept training, knowing he would not reach her camp for at least another few hours. After the sword training came the bow training.

After a full day of training, Elleniel did not feel so clean and decided to go swim in the nearby lake. After all, she did not want to welcome Glorfindel looking less than perfect. That was all part of her facade to keep people away. Her cold beauty and haughtiness combined with her strength and powers were providing her a peacefulness she would not get were she more like her little sister Arwen. She had never seen her, but she was sure the poor elleth was being constantly surrounded by elves, looking for her attention.

Elleniel washed herself in the pond, and as the sun was still high, decided to let the sun rays dry her. She lied on a rock, and knowing there were very little chances of seeing orcs in that part of the forest, she decided to nap a little. As per her first estimates, Glorfindel would arrive in the evening. Elleniel closed her eyes, chuckling at the thought of how angry he would be when he finally arrived.

Glorfindel was beyond angry. He was enraged. He had spent most of the last days preparing for their meeting. He had not decided yet if he would try to physically harm her or not. He had to recognize the little witch could have taught lessons to her brothers. He reminded himself he should not be insulted, that Elleniel had been trained by the Valars Oromë and Tulkas. They could be proud of their pupil!

Realizing he had both cursed her and praised her in the same thought, he became even more confused about how he should deal with her. He decided to wait until they met, and see what kind of welcome he would receive from Elleniel. His approach would depend on her own attitude.

After a while, he started to realize her tracks were fresher than before. The witch had slowed down, perhaps to give him a chance? In early evening, he finally found her camp. Her mare Ithil was tied to a tree, grazing the grass around her. Elleniel was not in sight, and Glorfindel wondered if she was somewhere watching him, ready to pounce and attack. He sat near the fire, and waited for her. After half an hour, she still had not come back, and he wondered if she was somewhere needing help.

Panicking at the thought that she could have been in danger while he was not there to protect her, he started searching for her in the forest around the camp. He finally found her nearby a lake. The shock kept him from moving for long minutes.

Elleniel was peacefully sleeping on a big rock, naked as the day she was born. Despite his gentlemanly manners, Glorfindel could not stop himself from staring at her. He had never seen the body of a female warrior, so few were they in Middle Earth. Elleniel's body was very muscular for a female, although much less than a male. Her arms and legs looked strong, and her stomach had perfectly defined abdominal muscles. Her breast and hips were bringing a very feminine touch to her body. For a warrior, a female body could not be more perfect than this.

He noticed she had a recent scar on her right arm, and a rather ugly one on her left thigh. That last one had been cauterized, and Glorfindel remembered his discussion with Mithrandir before his departure. The Nazgul swords were usually soaked in poison before battle, and wounds inflicted by them required immediate attention. For a long slash, cauterization must be used without consideration of the fact that a cauterized scar would never disappear like a scar that had been left to heal naturally.

Glorfindel did not know what to do. All the scenarios he had imagined never had covered the situation he was facing. Should he wake her up? Go back to the camp? If she woke up now, she would realize he had been staring at her, his leggings not hiding the effect her appearance had on him. How could he hate her so much, but long to have her body at his mercy?

Elleniel woke up then, feeling Glorfindel was a few feet away from her. She faked being still asleep, trying to decide on a course of action. Jumping from the rock and running to her clothes to hide herself would be ridiculous at this point. He probably had had plenty of time to look at her. And this reaction would be showing a weakness, and she did not want him to think her weak. She wanted him to think she was always in control, calm and experienced.

She put on her usual facade, and spoke to him casually, as if all was normal.

"Mae govannen, Glorfindel," she said, her eyes still closed. "Enjoying the view?"

"I am only enjoying what is offered for all to watch," he replied dryly, pointing out she was the one who had undressed and fallen asleep.

Elleniel opened her eyes, and immediately saw his erection in his tight leggings. She blushed, and turned around to hide it, slowly walking to her clothes as if all was well. She had had no idea she had that kind of power over this Eldar. In fact, having been raised by two Valars, her experience in the matters of physical attraction was pretty close to nothingness. She wondered how to deal with this, and settled for ignoring it.

She turned back to him once she was dressed.

"I was starting to wonder if you would ever find me."

To her surprise, he did not reply and started walking back to the camp.

_So he wants to be the mature one?_ she laughed to herself. She would have so much fun teasing him if that was the case!

* * *

><p>They had spent the evening discussing the various possibilities, and decided that they would remain on the West side of the mountains and go South, until they reached Isengard. Elleniel had a feeling she should keep watch on Saruman the White, head of the Istar order.<p>

They quickly settled in a routine where they were training together in the morning until mid-afternoon, and then traveling until the middle of the night. They were sleeping a few hours before dawn, their bedrolls getting slightly closer every day, as they were getting used to each other's presence.

After three weeks at that pace, they had reached the River Glanduin, and were entering the region of Dunland. Halfway during their journey, Glorfindel and Elleniel had started to exchange more words than just the minimum required to be a functional team.

Glorfindel had stopped trying to beat her at sword fight. She was physically less strong than he was, but she knew tricks and movements he had never seen before. She kept teasing him about it, but one day, took pity of him and reminded him she had been training by two Valars. There was no way he would best her unless she trained him like Tulkas had done for her.

When they were stopping for the night, they would spend some time talking before falling asleep. Glorfindel had shared with her many stories of the First Age, including the foundation and fall of Gondolin, and how he had lost his first life killing a Balrog during the destruction of his city. He had spoken of his friend Ecthelion, who had also died during the same battle fighting Gothmog, Lord of the Balrogs. For a reason he could not explain, his friend had not been allowed to be reborn yet, and that was bothering him greatly.

"Fear not, Glorfindel," she had told him putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I am sure the Valar will not let such a great warrior remain in the Halls of Mandos for much longer. When you finally sail back to Valinor, I am sure you will meet him once again."

"When the Valar sent me back to Middle Earth, they made me swear that I would protect the Peredhils until they all sailed to Valinor. Nothing much happened in the past age, until your mother was attacked by orcs a millennium ago. I have always wondered why your father and brothers would need protection. But since we began this journey together, I think I have found my answer."

Glorfindel looked at Elleniel, and at the hand she had left on his shoulder.

"I think that all this time, I was meant to protect you, Elleniel."

Elleniel had remained silent, and he had wondered if she liked the idea or not.

Watching the stars above them on a particularly beautiful night, Glorfindel realized he had been doing most of the talking during their nightly conversations. Elleniel was a great listener, but was like her brothers: she did not like sharing her emotions with others.

"Elleniel? Are you sleeping?"

"I was," she replied in a tone that contradicted her statement.

"Will you not tell me about what happened to you after you left Imladris for Valinor?"

"Why would you want to know that?"

"I want to know what happened to you. I want to know you better."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you want to know me better?"

"Are we not friends, Elleniel?"

"I do not know. I never had any friends."

"Elleniel, we are on our way of being friends. Otherwise, I would not have shared my memories with you. Now, I want to hear about yours."

"There is nothing to tell. Saruman and Mithrandir took me away from my family. I spent millennia being trained for my mission, and now I am accomplishing it."

"Tell me of Oromë and Tulkas."

Elleniel sighed deeply, and turned on her side to look at Glorfindel lying on his bedroll, located much closer to hers than usual. She spoke for many hours, and he listened, keeping for himself his indignation at how her life had been cut from any love and joy. Somewhere during her speech, he had taken her hand, and when she finally fell asleep, he was still holding it.

The ellon did not fall asleep easily after this. He admitted to himself he was fascinated by the witch-warrior. More than fascinated. She was a constant temptation, and he was finding it more difficult every day to treat her casually like another warrior. If only she had been an ellon! But she was the elleth of his dreams, despite her difficult character. He started listing all her shortcomings. She was haughty, revengeful, careless for her security, obstinate, angry... The list could easily get much longer if he wanted to keep going. But she had great qualities too. After all, you needed to have plenty of those to accept such a suicide mission without complaining.

Glorfindel realized he quite liked Elleniel. Shortcomings included. After hearing her story, he understood now why she had become like she was. He wondered if she would ever grow a sweeter side, once her mission was over. Would she then consider being more than friends with him?

This question would haunt many nights to come...

* * *

><p>"Glorfindel? Glorfindel, wake up!" Elleniel was screaming above him.<p>

They had reached the Old South Road that would lead them to the Gap of Rohan two days earlier, and Elleniel had been getting more nervous every day as they were approaching it. She had sensed danger was approaching.

Glorfindel was on his feet in a second. He grabbed his sword, understanding their lives were in danger just by the way Elleniel had woken him.

"I feel them!"

He did not have to ask of whom she was talking about. Nazguls were getting closer.

"Did they feel you?"

"I do not think so. I have not used my magic in a while."

"What do you want to do?"

"I have to get one separated from the group."

"Are the eight Nazguls there?"

"No, I only feel three."

"Good. Where are they?"

"If I use my magic to locate them, they will know I am here."

"Would it not be a good way to get one over here?"

"I guess. Go hide, Glorfindel. I am serious. I will not be able to fight if I worry about you. Only come back when the fight is over. Swear it."

"Fine. I will watch from afar. I swear." This was the worse promise he ever had made. Leaving an elleth unprotected was against all his principles. But he reminded himself this elleth was easily beating him at sword fight. She had no need of his protection.

"Bring Asfaloth and Ithil with you, we will need them to escape after."

Glorfindel did as he was told. He made any sign of his presence disappear, and dragging the horses by their reins, went to hide them further in the forest. Once their mounts were safely hidden, he came back to watch, still hidden by the trees.

Elleniel, close to the forest line, closed her eyes and listened intently. She started hearing horses galloping on the road. Three horses. The Nazguls were getting closer.

"What are you doing here, so far from Minas Morgul?" she whispered.

Minutes later, three black horses appeared going North on the road. They were ridden by Black Riders.

"You are traveling incognito?"

She let them pass her, and then ran to the road, glowing blue. Immediately, the three riders stopped their horses and looked at the blue figure that had drawn the sword of their missing Nazgul friend, daring them to come back to fight with her. They seemed to confer, and two continued their road, while another one dismounted and prepared to fight with Elleniel.

"Cowards!" she called after the two who were leaving.

Glorfindel was watching the scene, his heart beating faster than ever, scared for Elleniel and amazed that she did not run away like any other elf would have done.

The two opponents were facing each other, swords drawn. Suddenly, the Nazgul attacked Elleniel. Glorfindel watched them fight for long minutes. He had never seen warriors fight with such velocity. He could barely see their swords as they were attacking each other. The Nazgul hit Elleniel on her left shoulder, and Glorfindel saw the sleeve of her blue tunic become darker. She kept fighting as if nothing had happened at first, but after some time, she started showing signs of weakness. She hit the Nazgul too, squarely in the chest, and he shrieked loudly like only Ringwraiths could. But Glorfindel knew she had to cut his hand to get the ring and destroy it.

Elleniel eventually managed to cut the Nazgul's right hand, and Glorfindel thought the fight would soon be over. Elleniel seemed to search for the ring on the road, when the Nazgul, now disarmed, grabbed her by the neck and lifted her from the ground. Elleniel dropped her sword and tried to removed his hand from her neck, her feet desperately searching for the ground. The Nazgul threw her full force many feet away, walked towards her and crushed a few of her ribs with his foot. Elleniel cried out in pain.

At that point, Glorfindel was no longer debating if he should go to her aid or not. He got his sword ready and started running to the scene.

Elleniel pointed her blade with her glowing hand, and the blade slowly made its way towards her, sliding on the road. The Nazgul was oblivious to that fact, talking to her in the black speech, ready to cut her throat with the sword he was holding in his remaining left hand. As he lifted it slightly to make the killing blow, Elleniel grabbed her sword and cut his second hand right before he was able to pierce her throat.

Glorfindel saw the cloaked black figure, shrieking again, try to kick Elleniel in the head with his foot. He ran faster to reach her before it was too late.

Elleniel screamed in pain when she sit down, and grabbed something small on the ground. She had found the ring. The Nazgul kicked her hand, trying to get her to drop the ring, but she held on and threw it a few feet away. She lifted her sword, and received another blow on her arm. She lifted her sword again, and this time, was able to break the ring on the ground before the Nazgul hurt her again.

By the time Glorfindel arrived on the scene, the ring was broken, and the Nazgul's black cloak lay empty beside it. Elleniel was unconscious on the ground, blood flowing from her shoulder, her neck and face bruised.

Knowing the other Nazguls could come back, he took the broken ring, lifted the elleth in his arms and ran towards the forest. He quickly put their packs on Ithil, installed Elleniel's body on Asfaloth, and sat behind her, ensuring she was stable between his legs and arms. He started riding East to hide near the mountains. After two hours of riding, he stopped to take a quick look at Elleniel's shoulder. The wound had stopped bleeding but was becoming black. As expected, the blade had been poisoned. He could not ride anymore, he had to take care of it immediately.

He jumped down his horse, Elleniel still in his arms, and started to clean her injury with his waterskin. He examined the wound, and remembering Mithrandir's directives, chose the right plant for the poison that had been used on Elleniel. He knew she would not regain consciousness until she was freed from the poison. As soon as he applied the poultice on her wound, some stinky black liquid started to come out. Glorfindel kept draining the wound until it looked clean.

He put Elleniel back on his horse and started riding again, getting closer to the mountains. At that point, he was sure the two Nazguls were not following them. He was just looking for the right place to set their camp so he could take care of the rest of Elleniel's injuries. He found what he was looking for in a little clearing at the bottom of a mountain, where a small stream was flowing from the mountain heights.

He installed Elleniel on her bedroll, made sure the horses had everything they needed, and inspected the stream. It was not very deep, and would be perfect for him to wash the injured elleth as she was still unconscious. He went back to her and started to undress her. After having undressed himself, he picked her up and sat in the stream, Elleniel on his lap.

She had bruises all over her stomach and back. He quickly assessed she had at least three broken ribs. He could distinctly see the bruises each Nazgul finger had left on her throat. Her shoulder wound would soon require a bandage, if he did not want dirt to get into it.

As he started washing her with the fresh water, Elleniel regained consciousness.

"Glorfindel?" she asked with a croaked voice. The Nazgul had compressed her throat very hard.

"Do not speak, Lirimaer," he said, calling her lovely without thinking.

"He... was wrong..."

"Who?"

"Tulkas... ring... not in his sword hand..."

"I know. Hush now! We will simply have to adjust your strategies now that we know the ring could be in any of their hands."

Glorfindel kept washing her body, and she cried in pain when he touched her ribs. He carefully avoided the area, and when she was clean, he brought her back to the camp. He wrapped her in his cloak, and lied down with her on their joined bedrolls.

He shivered when he remembered the fight he has witnessed. Fighting a Nazgul was as hard as he had expected, and he was amazed Elleniel was still alive. He did not know anyone who could fight with such skill and speed. He could not believe that the Valar and the Istari were expecting her to do this over and over again until the remaining seven Nazguls had been destroyed.

He did not want her to die. He had almost lost her that day. How enlightening this thought was! He wanted her to be safe, preferably like this, in his arms, where he could feel her heartbeat and warmth. _Do I love her?_ he asked himself. _Is that how love feels? Could I have fallen for her in a little more than a month? _

He took a good look at Elleniel, her head on his shoulder. _Yes, I do love her!_ he thought.

He eventually feel asleep. During the following two days, he took care of all her needs. She was recovering faster than he had expected. When he woke up on the third morning, she was no longer sleeping beside him. He found her bathing in the stream. She was sitting at the bottom of the stream, water up to her shoulders, her hair floating all around her.

"I bathed you already," he told her.

"I know. I felt warm, I think I had a fever. I thought the stream would help."

"Did it help?"

"Yes. But it feels too good here, I do not want to come out. My ribs feel much better in cold water!"

She kept watching him with an expression he had never seen before on her face.

"Will you not join me?" she asked.

He looked at her in disbelief. He tried to determine if this was an innocent suggestion or a blatant invitation for more. He decided to explore the possibilities, and undressed himself to join her in the water. She grimaced as she moved to get closer to him, her ribs probably still aching.

He made his way towards her, and sat in front of her. He touched her forehead to see if she was still feverish. She was warm, but nothing alarming.

"Glorfindel, I want to thank you for what you did the other day." Her voice was still not back to normal. It would probably take a few days before her throat healed.

"It is my role, Elleniel. I was... impressed by your fight. But I was scared to death every second of it."

"I saw you running towards us at the end. You had promised not to interfere."

"I am sorry. It is a promise that I could not keep."

"Why?"

"It is too difficult to watch you being hurt. I do not want you to die..."

Elleniel was watching him with growing excitement. Could he be...? She did not dare complete her thought.

Glorfindel got closer and closer to her, until they were only separated by a few inches. He saw that Elleniel's breathing had picked up, and that her pupils were dilated. Her expression was a reflection of his – aching desire.

Underneath the water, his hand started caressing her thigh, a body part he knew was not wounded. He put his other hand on the back of her neck and brought her head closer to his, until their lips were close enough to touch. He gave her a small kiss, to see if she would accept to bring things forward. She immediately opened her mouth, and they shared a passionate kiss. Glorfindel marvelled at the feeling of having Elleniel at his mercy like this. Maybe she was the best warrior, but in these matters, she would have to let him lead.

While they were kissing, he slowly sat her on his lap, her legs around his waist. His hands were roaming on her breast and between her legs. Elleniel knew that if she did not stop Glorfindel now, they would end up making love right there, in the stream. She knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her. She had no idea what the consequences of this would be. But she had just barely escaped death, and she wanted to feel alive more than ever. She did not know if it meant more to him than just having sex. After all, she could remember the comments of the ellith in Valinor. He obviously had had many lovers in the past. Would she just be another one he would add to his long list of conquests? Right at that moment, she did not care.

When she pushed herself closer to Glorfindel and started caressing his groin, he knew he had her permission to make love to her. He had been tempted by her body for many weeks now, and he decided he would make love to her passionately at first, getting rid of this sense of urgency. Then, he would love her a second time, slowly, to discover and cherish every inch of her body.

As they were passionately kissing, he positioned himself at her entrance, and with one powerful stroke, he sheathed himself in her. Elleniel's cry took him by surprise, and he saw pain in her eyes.

"I am sorry, did I hurt your ribs?" he asked, concerned.

"No, not my ribs," she answered, still shocked.

Glorfindel suddenly understood.

"Elleniel, is this your first time?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes."

"Oh, Valar! I am so sorry! I would never have imagined it would be your first time!"

"And with whom did you think I would have made love before?"

"I know not, Lirimaer! There are so many ellyn in Valinor, I was sure many of them would have courted you!"

"I told you before, Glorfindel! You probably are the only ellon in this world who is not afraid of me!"

They looked at each other for a long time, their eyes expressing their awe at being joined physically a little more than a month after the start of their journey. Their relationship had progressed quickly and taken them both by surprise. Glorfindel started kissing Elleniel again, with restrained passion this time. He wanted to take things slowly, to make sure she would have as much pleasure as him during their coupling.

"Does it still hurt, Meleth?" he asked her, wondering if she was still in pain or not, and if they could resume their lovemaking.

Elleniel was light-headed, having heard Glorfindel call her both Lovely and Love. Endearment terms had been scarce in her past, and she hoped Glorfindel was feeling more than just lust for her.

"No, Glorfindel. We can start again if you would like."

"I would really like it," he said. "I can feel how tight and warm you are around me. Elleniel, I will try to give you as much pleasure as you will without a doubt give me."

Glorfindel took her mouth again, exploring her with his lips and tongue. At the same time, he started moving his hips, creating the much needed friction between them, and slowly building their pleasure.

"Elleniel," he moaned in her neck, biting her lightly.

"Yes?" she asked, her head tossed back, her hands gripping his shoulders for support while she was moving her body up and down his length.

Glorfindel noticed her breathing was picking up, like the speed of her movements.

"You feel so good," he replied. "I want to stay inside of you forever!"

Elleniel's laughter became a low groan. Glorfindel decided that he wanted to get out of the water and make love to her in a position that would allow him to control his movements better. He picked her up, and still sheated inside of her, carried her to the ground where he lay on top of her. He lifted her leg around his hip, giving him deeper access in her body. He resumed his thrusting with delight, being careful not to hurt her ribs, but her encouragements to go faster and harder told him she did not care about her ribs. Whatever pain he might be causing her was obviously surpassed by the pleasure.

His hair making a curtain around their heads, they started kissing again, and it is in his mouth that she cried her pleasure when she climaxed. He let her ride the wave, listening to her whimpers with pride. This was the elleth that had humiliated him months ago, that had given him the cold shoulder for weeks, and now? She was in his arms, at his mercy, crying in pleasure because of his ministrations. When she had recovered from her climax, she started caressing the tips of his ears.

"Is it not your turn, Glorfindel? What can I do give return the favor?"

He kissed her and thrust his hips again, feeling she was wetter and warmer than before following her orgasm. He came shortly after, his groans being heard by the stunned birds that were singing in the clearing.

They stayed on the ground, panting, their limbs intertwined, trying to rest after their first lovemaking. Elleniel's hand was caressing Glorfindel's back while he was kissing and licking her ear.

"Meleth, I am so sorry. I wished your first time had been different."

"What was wrong with my first time? Did you not realized how much pleasure you gave me?"

"I wished I had known you were an innocent. I would have been more careful instead of entering you like this!"

Elleniel laughed. "Glorfindel, I am no innocent young elleth that needs great care! Yes, you took me by surprise, but you gave me the greatest pleasure I have ever felt. And..."

"And?" he insisted.

"And I am ready to do it all over again as soon as you have recovered!"

Glorfindel always had had an appetite for sex that was greater than most ellyn's. He understood he might have found an elleth that could keep up with him in this regard. She was definitely a keeper!

* * *

><p>AN: In the next chapter, Elleniel and Glorfindel will meet the fellowship...


	4. Chapter 4  Saving Frodo

_Chapter 3 ended with:_

_Glorfindel always had had an appetite for sex that was greater than most ellyn's. He understood he might have found an elleth that could keep up with him in this regard. She was definitely a keeper!_

**Chapter 4: Saving Frodo**

"I think we need to go to Imladris and report that the Nazguls are wandering in Middle Earth."

They were eating in front of the fire, still in the clearing where Glorfindel had taken care of Elleniel during her recovery.

Elleniel thought about Glorfindel's statement. They knew at least two Black Riders were going North on the Old South Road. This was highly unusual, the Ringwraiths usually stayed in Minas Morgul and sent orcs to do their dark undertakings. What were they looking for? Where were they heading? And most importantly, were all the seven remaining Nazguls traveling in Middle Earth disguised as Black Riders? Mithrandir and her father needed to be advised as soon as possible.

"You are right, Glorfindel. But I do not think I am recovered enough to make the journey as speedily as we should. I would slow us down. I think you should go first, and I will follow you. You can make it in a little less than a month if you hardly stop. Do you think Asfaloth can make such a journey?"

"I will not make it in less than a month, Elleniel, and not because of Asfaloth. I will never leave you behind."

"Glorfindel, I have taken care of myself for millennia. I do not need anyone to babysit me."

"I am sorry, Elleniel, but this is not negotiable. We will go together, and make it in whatever time you can."

"You are starting to sound like a husband. Which you are not, by the way," she warned him.

"This has nothing to do with our relationship."

"What relationship? We made love twice, Glorfindel. From what I heard about you in Valinor, that makes me one of a massive group of ellith! I doubt you have started to control the lives of all these lovers after a night together! Why would you start with me?"

"You do not think what you are saying. You are unused to have people that care for you, but you will get used to it! Rest assured that I would do the same for any warrior on a mission me. I have never left a soldier behind," he said casually. "We are leaving tomorrow – together."

He stood and left her alone by the fire. He really had not been insulted by her tone and meaning. He knew she was an independent elleth, and that getting accustomed to have him around would take a long time. As she had reminded him, the fact that they had made love did not give him any rights over her, but he knew he was the elf she had been closer to in all her life, except for her brothers, and only because they shared the same fëa. She would eventually yield to him. He only had to be patient.

Elleniel was more stunned than angry. She had thought that her rebuff would have sent him on his way to Imladris within minutes. Instead, he was going to stick around all night, and make the journey with her. They would make it there at least a week later than if he had left without her.

She moved her torso a little, to see how her ribs were faring. They were healing quickly, but constant riding would be difficult for at least another week or so. Maybe if she bandaged them it would ache a little less?

She installed her bedroll far from his, in a childish way of dealing with the matter, and she knew it. When he saw where she had put her bedroll, he simply took his and brought it beside hers.

"Can we see the stars better from here?" he asked.

"No. Actually, I was trying to have some alone time."

"Just disregard my presence then."

She sighed heavily when he brushed his hand on her hip.

"Glorfindel!"

"What?" he asked innocently, lifting himself above her and carefully avoiding to put weight on her ribs. "I told you to disregard my presence!"

Elleniel started laughing. How could she stay angry with this ellon who knew exactly what to say and do to make her melt?

* * *

><p>The ride to Imladris had been more difficult for her than what she had expected, and somehow, despite her lack of complaint, Glorfindel had known it and made sure they were stopping at least five hours a day in the first two weeks. Then, she had been completely healed and had been able to ride at full speed for the rest of the journey.<p>

Elleniel had agreed to not only go close to Imladris, but to actually enter the realm and the main house to meet with her father. Her only condition had been to be able to act like the Istar that she was, and not as the Lord's daughter.

They had also agreed that it would be best to act as if there was nothing going on between them. Elleniel was sure her father would not be pleased to hear about their affair. Mithrandir would also not be too keen about it, for different reasons. Anything that could distract her from her mission would not be encouraged by the Istari.

They crossed the Imladris gate exactly a month and a half after her fight with the Nazgul. Glorfindel was happy to be back home, but did not stop to greet his guards. He could feel Elleniel's discomfort, and how she wanted to take refuge in her father's office, where she would avoid everyone's looks.

Glorfindel directed Asfaloth to the stables, Elleniel following him on Ithil. She was fully covered by her blue cloak, and Glorfindel could hear the elves around them wonder who was this Istar they had never seen before.

They climbed the stairs as fast as they could, and Glorfindel noticed Elleniel remembered exactly where her father's office was located in the house. They stopped in front of the door, and Glorfindel knocked, hoping his Lord was working with Erestor.

Lord Erestor opened the door, and recognizing them, he let them in the office where he was working alone. Elleniel removed her cloak, and bowed to the councilor while Glorfindel gave him an elven handshake.

"I am so glad you are back! Mithrandir arrived yesterday with Gwaihir, the lord of the Great Eagles. Can you believe he had been prisoner of Saruman the White at the top of Orthanc for many weeks?"

"Is he well?" asked Elleniel, concerned for the Grey Istar she had started to be fond of.

"Yes. He is weak, but overall well."

"I knew we could not trust Saruman!" she exclaimed. "What is he trying to do?"

"He believes he can rule Middle Earth with Sauron, my child," said Mithrandir, entering the office with Elrond. "I felt your presence when you arrived."

The wizard looked tired, and thinner than before. But his blue eyes still had this laughing light.

"To what do we owe your presence here, my daughter?" asked Elrond, hugging Elleniel. "Knowing how you hate the thought of coming here, I am surprised to see you. Do you have some news of importance?"

"The Nazguls are on the move, Ada. We met three of them on the Old South Road, close to Isengard."

"What happened?"

Glorfindel took the pieces of the ring Elleniel had broken that day, and put them on Elrond's desk.

"Elleniel took care of one of them. The other two keep riding North."

"Did you get hurt?" asked Elrond, worried for his daughter's safety.

"Hardly," she replied, wanting to spare her father futile worry.

Elrond was not fooled. He saw the look that Glorfindel and his daughter had exchanged while she was speaking. She had been hurt again. But he was glad he had sent Glorfindel with her.

"Where were the Nazguls heading?" asked Erestor.

"We have no idea. We wanted to speak to you about it. We thought maybe you would know why are the Nazguls out of Minas Morgul."

"I believe I can answer that," Mithrandir said with worry. "A few weeks ago, I was able to confirm the location of the One Ring. As I went to Saruman to seek his counsel, he told me he was in contact with Sauron using a palantir. He asked me to join Sauron and him, and I declined. I was held captive for many weeks. I am assuming Saruman told Sauron about the One Ring, and now, the Nazguls are after it."

"Where is the ring?" asked Elleniel. "We need to go get it before they reach it!"

"It is probably on the way here as we speak. I had left a message to Frodo Baggins, the current ring bearer, at the Prancing Pony in Bree, and I also sent Strider a note to try to find Frodo and bring him here."

"Strider? You mean Estel, your adoptive son?" she asked Elrond.

"Yes. Do you know him?"

"I have met him once. He... carried a message for me. Where would they be? Somewhere between Bree and Imladris?"

"I suppose so," replied Mithrandir. "If they have not been caught by now!"

"We need to go help them," Elleniel said to Glorfindel. "They will not be able to fight the Nazguls."

"I agree," the Commander replied. "My Lord, we should send some guards on every possible road between Bree and Imladris to warn them that the Nazguls are after them. They are disguised as Black Riders. They should not try to fight them, but to escape at all costs."

"I will, Glorfindel. Where will you two be going?"

"We will take the road in the Trollshaws," Glorfindel decided.

Elleniel put her hood back on. "Wish us luck, Ada. Let's hope there are only two Black Riders out there, and not seven."

"May the Valar be with you," Elrond replied. "I will send word to your brothers to come back to Imladris."

When Elleniel and Glorfindel got out of Elrond's office, they stopped dead, facing a dark-haired elleth that was about to knock on Elrond's door. She was carrying a tray with cups of tea.

"Lady Arwen!" Glorfindel said, shoving Elleniel behind him. He did not want Arwen to learn about Elleniel's existence that way. It was up to Elrond to have this conversation with his youngest daughter.

"Lord Glorfindel! I am so glad to see you! You are back from your mission?"

"And I am leaving again to continue it, my Lady. I was barely reporting the progress of my task to your father. If you will excuse us, we need to leave immediately."

Arwen could feel the gaze of the Blue Istar that was standing behind Glorfindel. The wizard's hair was coming out of the hood, raven black like her own, and that was highly unusual for an Istar. All Istari looked like old men, with white hair and beard. Why was this one so young? Was he really a Blue Istar or was it a disguise? She eliminated that possibility immediately, feeling the power irradiating from the wizard.

Glorfindel and the Istar bowed to Arwen, and walked away swiftly. Arwen watched them until they turned the corner. She then entered her father's study, and asked who was that wizard she had never seen before.

Her father, Mithrandir and Erestor looked at each other, and then Elrond gestured for his daughter to sit with them.

"Arwen, we have something to tell you..."

* * *

><p>Asfaloth and Ithil were pushed to their limits by Glorfindel and Elleniel. For nine days, they rode on the Great East Road without meeting anyone. On the evening of the ninth day, they suddenly heard a scream behind them.<p>

They stopped their horses and turned around to see Strider running towards them on the road. Glorfindel dismounted and greeted the Ranger with relief. Suddenly, four little Hobbits came out of the bushes where they had been hiding.

Elleniel dismounted too, but stayed away from the group while Glorfindel was explaining that the Nazguls were after them. Strider was throwing looks at Elleniel, recognizing the wizard that had lured him in the woods around Bree.

"We need to take the risk of riding on the road and reach the Ford as soon as we can. I am afraid it might already been taken by the Nazguls."

"Frodo here cannot ride," explained a bigger hobbit named Sam. "He was wounded by a Nazgul at Weathertop."

Elleniel got closer to Frodo, and the hobbits watched her come closer with suspicion. Still hooded to hide her face, she knelt in front of him and moved his collar to look at the wound on his shoulder. She whispered a few words while her hand became blue. She was able to remove some of the poison, probably just enough for Frodo to survive until they reached Imladris. Elleniel knew exactly the kind of pain Frodo was in right now. She knew the burning caused by Nazgul's poison. She put Frodo's clothes back on properly and went back to her horse.

Glorfindel understood she wanted to talk to him, and walked to her.

"What is it, Elleniel?" he whispered so he would not be heard.

"We cannot linger here any longer, Glorfindel," she replied on the same tone. "His wound is poisened, but we cannot wait for the Nazguls to arrive. I feel them! They are close! The seven of them, Glorfindel!"

"Will he survive if we do not treat his wound with the plants I used on your own wounds?"

"I am not sure. I just removed some of the poison, but I am afraid it is not enough."

"I do not have much more plants for these wounds, Elleniel."

"Then just prepare a poultice as quickly as you can, and let's leave!"

Elleniel helped Glorfindel prepare the poultice, and he applied it to Frodo's shoulder.

"We need to go now!" Glorfindel announced. "Frodo will ride on Asfaloth."

"Can we put a Hobbit with the wizard?" Strider whispered to Glorfindel. "If they all ride, you and I can run with them while they ride. We will make it to Imladris much faster."

"I think we can. But pick the Hobbit that is the least easily upset. The wizard is rather... reserved."

"Pippin and Sam, you will ride on Bill," Strider called out loud.

"Will I ride with Frodo?" asked the Hobbit named Merry.

"No Merry. You will ride with the Istar," decided Strider.

Merry looked at the tall figure dressed in a dark blue cloak, that had been rude enough not to even bother to remove his cloak.

"I can run," he replied to Strider.

"Do not be scared, young Merry," the blue wizard said in a low tone, as if he did not want his voice to be recognized. "I will not hurt you."

Merry looked at his friends, and saw Pippin daring him to go with the wizard. He took a deep breath and walked towards the white mare. The wizard lifted him on the horse, and he easily jumped in front of Merry on the mare. Merry was impressed. Gandalf had never shown such physical strength. But he was an old man, while this wizard had black hair coming out of the hood.

They rode swiftly the entire night, and most of the following day. Merry had tried talking to the wizard during the night, but he was only answering his questions with yes or no answers. Merry got tired of talking and fell asleep, his cheek on the Elleniel's back. She smiled. The talkative hobbit had finally fallen asleep!

As they were getting closer to the Ford, Elleniel could feel that the Nazguls were getting closer to their group.

"Glorfindel!" she called. "They are here!"

Glorfindel screamed to Frodo to ride away as quickly as he could and pass the Ford. Frodo refused, determined to stay with his companions. Elleniel knew he was feeling the call of the Nazguls on the ring. They would try to keep him on this side of the Ford and take the ring away.

"Asfaloth! Ride to Imladris!" Glorfindel ordered his stallion. Asfaloth left the group and galloped away like a lightning.

Elleniel jumped from Ithil, losing her hood at the same time. Merry looked at her, astonished to see the wizard was actually a female elf.

"Dismount!" she screamed at him, grabbing him from the horse and pushing him to the bushes beside the road. "Merry!" she screamed when he had no reaction. "Hide!"

By then Glorfindel and Strider had done the same with Pippin and Sam. Glorfindel encouraged Strider to go protect them, and to bring Bill with them in the bushes.

"Will she not hide too?" Strider asked Glorfindel, pointing at the elleth who was pushing Ithil off the road.

"No, Estel. She cannot."

Strider watched as the elleth was standing on a rock on the side of the road. He could not believe how her features seemed familiar to him. She slightly looked like Arwen, but had something more of... Elladan and Elrohir?

"Who is she?" he asked Glorfindel.

"It is not up to me to tell, mellon."

They started hearing many horses galloping down the road. The elleth exchanged a look with Glorfindel, and the Ranger saw the ellon beside him give her an encouraging nod.

When the seven Black Riders appeared, they all bucked behind the bushes except Elleniel, who waited for the last rider to pass before she jumped on his horse with him.

Glorfindel and Strider watched as the black horse kept riding towards the Ford while the Black Rider and the witch were fighting on its back.

They watched them disappear in dismay.

"Is she mad?" asked a stunned Strider to Glorfindel.

Glorfindel looked at the Ranger with a terrorized expression, before he ran to Ithil, jumped on her back and followed Elleniel and the last Black Rider. To Glorfindel, there was something worse than watch Elleniel fight with a Nazgul. It was to know she was fighting with one and not being able to see the fight and how Elleniel was faring.

Strider and the three hobbits decided to follow him on foot, dragging Bill the pony with them.

* * *

><p>When Glorfindel reached the Ford, his stallion Asfaloth was on the other side, Frodo still on his back. Six Black Riders were slowly crossing the Bruinen, while Elleniel was standing near the river, casting a spell to increase the force of its course. She was trying to have the river sweep away the Nazguls so they could all go back to Imladris safely.<p>

Glorfindel could not see the seventh Rider, but saw a cloak and a Nazgul sword on the ground. Had she successfully destroyed the Nazgul without having received any serious wound other than the few cuts and bruises on her face and hands?

He saw what happened next in slow motion. The current of the river had increased greatly, and the Nazguls were about to be washed away when their leader threw a blade towards Elleniel, in the hope that her death would stop the enchantment. Fortunately, the current could not be stopped and the six Black Riders disappeared from sight. Glorfindel had seen Elleniel fall, but he was not certain if she had been able to avoid the blade or not.

She was lying on the ground, and her lack of movement told him he would not like what he saw once he reached her. He rode Ithil at full gallop until he reached her. Elleniel was on her back, her hand around the blade that was stuck in her lower abdomen.

"Are they gone?" she gasped, pain written all over her face.

"Yes, they are gone."

"Send Frodo... to my father..."

Glorfindel was now holding an unconscious Elleniel in his arms.

He yelled to Asfaloth, still standing on the other side of the river, to bring his charge to Lord Elrond. The horse turned around and started running towards Imladris, Frodo apparently unconscious on his back.

Knowing Frodo would be safely delivered to Lord Elrond within the hour, Glorfindel's attention went back to the unconscious elleth in his arms. The blade had penetrated her lower abdomen on the right side, and he was hopeful no important organ had been pierced. He decided to prepare his usual poultice for the poison used by the Nazguls when he realized that he had nothing to cure Elleniel. He had used his last herbs for the poultice he had prepared for Frodo the day before.

Strider and the hobbits arrived near them at that moment. Pippin picked up something on the ground and gave it to Strider. Strider immediately threw it on the ground with horror.

"Is this what I think it is?" the Ranger asked Glorfindel, pointing at the object.

Without answering the question, Glorfindel grabbed the pieces of the Nazgul ring and put it in a pocket inside his tunic.

"I should remove the blade here, she cannot ride for an hour with this poisonous blade inside of her," Glorfindel told Strider. Glorfindel removed his tunic, and in one swift movement, he removed the blade from his lover's stomach. He immediately applied his tunic against the wound to absorb the blood that was pouring out. Strider helped him tie the tunic tightly around her waist to ensure some pressure would be applied on the wound.

"Did she really kill a Nazgul, Lord Glorfindel?" Merry asked, concerned for the elleth that was lying in the elf's arms.

"Yes, Meriadoc, she did."

"What will you do with the Nazgul sword and the Nazgul blade?" asked Sam, ever practical.

"Can you bring them to Imladris?"

"Why?" Strider asked.

"She likes to keep them as trophies," Glorfindel replied, defying the Ranger to make a comment about her habit.

Sensing Glorfindel's unhappiness at the repulsion he had shown for the broken ring, he decided to overcome his aversion for anything relating to the Nazguls, and picked up the weapons on the ground and installed them in the packs carried by their pony.

"You need to bring her to Imladris immediately. Organs could have been touched," Strider insisted.

"You should make it safely to Imladris with the rest of the group. The Nazguls should leave you alone for a while," Glorfindel confirmed.

Glorfindel jumped on Ithil, and Strider gave him Elleniel's body. They crossed the now quiet Bruinen swiftly and arrived at the house within the hour.

* * *

><p>His arrival in the healing rooms took all the healers present by surprise. Not every day was their Commander entering their rooms, stripped to the waist, holding the bloody body of an unknown elleth.<p>

Lord Elrond, who was taking care of Frodo, recognized his daughter immediately despite the bruises on her face and the whiteness of her skin, announcing she was not doing well. Glorfindel crossed the main room and deposited Elleniel on a bed far from the other healers.

"Take care of Frodo!" he told Elrond, who was approaching to take care of his child. "He has been stabbed days ago, while her injury is freshly made!"

Lord Elrond returned to Frodo's care, but asked one of his healer to go help Glorfindel.

Glorfindel had ripped her tunic from her torso and removed his own bloody tunic tied around her waist to take a good look at the wound. When he realized a male healer was standing beside him, watching Elleniel's half-naked body, he became very angry and possessive. He forgot their decision to hide their relationship, and told rather nastily the healer to mind his own business and leave.

Elrond had heard the argument, but he put Glorfindel's reaction on his faultless sense of duty. Glorfindel had been asked to care of Elleniel when she was hurt, and he surely wanted to keep this duty all to himself.

He saw Glorfindel skilfully drain the poison from the wound, and prepare a poultice as if he was a healer and not the Commander of Imladris. Elrond reminded himself that Glorfindel had centuries of experience taking care of his soldiers on the battlefields.

All this time, Elleniel had not regained consciousness. She was in a deep healing sleep, which reassured Elrond that his daughter had been well taken care of.

* * *

><p>Elleniel had finally regained consciousness two days later. When Elladan and Elrohir arrived in Imladris, they went at their sister's bedside before going anywhere else. They could not believe she had already killed three Nazguls and lived to tell the tale.<p>

Elrohir was holding her hand while Elladan was holding the other. Glorfindel was watching the twins intently. He was not sure if Elleniel would allow her brothers the same kind of intimacy they had shared in the past and that he had witnessed in the woods months ago. He knew it was only kissing, but even kisses seemed too much to him. He was becoming possessive, and did not like the thought. He had never been possessive before with the other ellith he had shared a bed with, and the fact he was starting now was telling him much about his growing feelings for Elrond's daughter.

"Elleniel," Elrohir said, "you have to stop this mission. We do not want to lose you. You know we will fade should anything happen to you."

"We all have sacrifices to make in this war, Elrohir," she replied weakly.

"We do not want to lose you!" Elladan replied.

"Elladan, the three of us are warriors and risk our lives all the time. You think I have not heard about your orc-killing feats? Our fëa is constantly at risk due to the three of us. Furthermore, the fact that you ask me to stay home to do needlework while you keep fighting is not only insulting, it is unforgivable."

She weakly tried to remove her hands from their grasps without success.

"I am sorry, Elleniel," Elrohir said. He bent over her and tried to take her lips. She moved her head slightly to the side, avoiding the kiss.

Elrohir blamed her resistance to his kiss on her annoyance with them. Glorfindel hoped it was because she would kiss no other than him. Elleniel was not sure why she had done it. She knew kissing her brother would bring much comfort to their shared fëa, as it always had. But in the meantime, she did not want Glorfindel to witness it. And truth be told, kissing Glorfindel was bringing a different kind of comfort, a kind she was longing for continuously.

Her brothers decided to leave her alone, and thanked Glorfindel for having saved their sister once again.

Arwen arrived shortly after, having heard from her brothers that they had annoyed Elleniel greatly. The two sisters had met before, but Elleniel had been too exhausted to talk. Arwen had been too shocked by the news of her older sister being alive to act like her usual affable self. She had simply taken Elleniel's hand and had held it for a long time.

This time, Arwen insisted for Glorfindel to go have dinner in Elrond's Hall. The Lord of Imladris was to make the announcement of Elleniel's return during dinner that night, since many people had been suspicious about this injured elleth that looked so much like the twins. She convinced Glorfindel to go by arguing that her father would certainly appreciate the support of his Commander during that difficult time. Furthermore, all elves present would gladly hear about her Istar status and her Nazgul killing mission from the ellon that was protecting her during said mission.

"Finally alone! Lord Glorfindel is guarding you like a watch dog!" Arwen told Elleniel once Glorfindel had left the room she occupied in the healing aisle. "Would you like me to bathe you?"

"Are you sure Glorfindel has allowed you to touch me?" Elleniel asked, referring to Glorfindel refusal's of anyone's help in her care except for her father.

"I care not, sister. I am sure being cleaned with water boiled with my special herbs will make you feel better. They will help you sleep too."

"Fine," Elleniel whispered, knowing she did not need the herbs to fall asleep, but wanting to be kind to her little sister who was making such an effort to please her.

Arwen shortly came back with a basin of hot water that smelled very good. She undressed Elleniel and started washing her with a soft sponge, avoiding the area where Elleniel had been stabbed.

"Our brothers can be such idiots at times," Arwen said while working.

"Ellyn have a tendency to see us a weak creatures," Elleniel replied.

"Not only ellyn! Men too!"

"Where did you meet a man that thought you weak?" asked Elleniel with interest. Had her sister been in contact with humans before?

"Did you meet Strider? This Ranger was raised here in Imladris. We used to call him Estel. He is in fact Aragorn, son of Arathorn, Isildur's heir."

"I have met him twice before. Our brothers told me about his childhood here... and about the love that you share."

"He thinks I do not understand the consequences of my decision."

"What decision are you talking about?"

"I want to give up my immortality for him. I want to be his wife and share his destiny."

"That is a big decision, Arwen. One that should not be taken lightly."

"Do you think me weak too?" asked Arwen, stopping her movements.

"No. I can feel you are mature enough to make that kind of decision. I was merely wondering if you had taken the time to meet enough ellyn to determine that Aragorn is the one for you. I am sure there are many ellyn that want to court you - and marrying one of them would not make you do such a sacrifice."

"I have met many ellyn, both in Imladris and Lothlorien. None of them have made me feel like Aragorn does."

"Then do as you wish, Arwen," Elleniel said sleepily. "I know how it feels when others try to dictate how to live your life."

"Sleep well, Elleniel," Arwen murmured. She covered her sister with the bed sheet, thinking she would put her night gown back on in the morning.

* * *

><p>When Elrond left the Hall of Fire late that evening, he decided to go to the healing rooms to see if all was well with his daughter.<p>

As he entered the main healing room, he heard Elleniel moan in one of the private rooms.

_She is in pain,_ he thought. He had started to assemble the necessary ingredients to prepare a pain killing draught when Elleniel started talking in a giggling voice.

"Stop it! We could get caught!"

Elrond did not clearly hear the reply as the ellon was whispering, but it seemed to be an encouragement to relax, that no one was going to catch them. He heard kissing noises and soon enough, Elleniel started moaning again.

_My daughter has a lover! _Elrond thought. He was about to go stop this madness when he realized his daughter was a grown elleth that would not appreciate her father walking on her while she was being intimate with an ellon.

He put back the ingredients where they belonged and almost ran to his rooms. He did not sleep at all that night, too busy had he been trying to discover who was his daughter's lover. She had told him nothing had ever happened with her brothers, and he wondered if she had lied to him. Was she in bed with one of twins at the very moment? He preferred to disregard that thought and decided the culprit must be one of the guards. Or Erestor? Impossible. Prince Legolas, who had just arrived from Mirkwood for the council? Maybe Elleniel had met him since her return to Middle Earth? She had also met Aragorn twice, was he her lover? He had already seduced Arwen, had he seduced Elleniel too?

At sunrise, Elrond was knocking on Glorfindel's door. Glorfindel opened the door, still sleepy, his hair dishevelled.

"My Lord?"

"Glorfindel, I need you to do something for me. Can I come in?"

Glorfindel let the lord in his room, and went to sit beside him in the boudoir.

"Glorfindel, my daughter has a lover."

"Which daughter?"

"Elleniel, who did you think? Certainly not Arwen?"

"I am sorry, my Lord. It is early in the morning, I have not gathered my thoughts properly."

"I want to know who is Elleniel's lover. I want you to find out."

Elrond noticed Glorfindel was not comfortable.

"My Lord, the last time I investigated something regarding your daughter, I ended up with the word _spy_ engraved on my forehead. I do not wish for it to happen again."

"You know who he is, do you not?"

"Even if I knew, I would not tell you, my Lord. It took me a while to gain her trust. I cannot successfully take care of her during her mission if she does not trust me. It will have to wait until her mission is complete."

"Only tell me it is not anyone I would disapprove of."

"Tell me of someone you would not disapprove of, and I will tell you."

"I only wish he is an honorable ellon, such as Erestor or yourself."

"I am glad then, because I am sure you will find him honorable. I will tell you no more. I suggest you speak to Elleniel if you want to know his name."

* * *

><p>"I had to lie to your father," Glorfindel told Elleniel when he went to visit her later that morning. "I never had lied to your father before!"<p>

Elleniel smiled.

"I told you we would get caught. It is all your fault if you had to lie to my father."

"How could I resist? You were naked when I came to check on your wound! And you smelled so good..."

"Arwen washed me and left me naked under the sheets. I had nothing to do with it. But thank you anyhow. I am beginning to think the pleasure you give me helps me heal faster."

"I just prefer to do it when there is no one around to hear us."

"Then take me out of here. Let's leave Imladris. I feel well enough to follow you in the woods."

"We cannot right now. There is to be an important council this afternoon. Once all the decisions are made, and depending of what they are, we could be back on the road faster than you think."


	5. Chapter 5 Battlefields

C_hapter 4 ended with:_

"_Then take me out of here. Let's leave Imladris. I feel well enough to follow you in the woods."_

"_We cannot right now. There is to be an important council this afternoon. Once all the decisions are made, and depending of what they are, we could be back on the road faster than you think."_

**Chapter 5: Battlefields**

It was late in the afternoon, and Elleniel was reading on the balcony of her room in the healing aisle of Imladris. She was enjoying an idleness she rarely had experienced before. She put her book down, and mentally searched for her brothers, to see if they were still in the council room for this mysterious meeting. She immediately felt the familiar tug of their response on their shared fëa. As always, she was consumed with longing to be with them, to be closer to them so their soul would not feel so stretched and restless.

She analyzed the feelings she was getting from their link, and realized her brothers were with Glorfindel and Mithrandir, but that their father was not with them. The council was finally over, and someone might eventually come visit her to give her some news.

Her father suddenly appeared on the balcony and took a seat beside hers, offering her refreshments that were desperately needed under this warm sun.

"What has been decided at the council, Ada? It lasted almost all afternoon!"

"A fellowship has been formed, with the purpose of going to Mordor to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom."

"Really?" Elleniel remarked with sarcasm. "And who is to accomplish this impossible endeavor?"

"You have to keep hoping, daughter of mine. It will be a difficult task, but if the Valar are with us, we can succeed."

Elleniel snorted. "Please tell me my brothers are not part of this Fellowship!"

"No, they are not."

"Glorfindel?"

"No. Glorfindel is protecting you. You are as important to me as the destruction of the ring. You have already made our world safer by destroying three Nazguls."

"I wish the current of the Bruinen had destroyed them all."

"So do I. They will surface again, but where? I do not know."

"So pray tell me, who accepted to be part of this fellowship?"

"Estel volunteered, along with Mithrandir."

"Makes sense. Mithrandir's mission is to ensure this ring will be destroyed. Is there anyone else?"

"Prince Legolas of Mirkwood, Boromir of Gondor, Gimli the Dwarf."

"Good choices."

"And… the four elflings are going too."

Elleniel stayed silent for a moment.

"You are jesting, right?"

"No."

"You are sending them to their deaths, I hope you know that. It will be on your conscience for eternity."

"I hope not. I feel these halflings have more strength than we would expect. Now would you mind coming back inside so I can check on your wound?"

Elleniel obediently went back in her room and undressed so Elrond could remove her bandages and verify if her injury was healing properly. Elrond, satisfied that all was well, stood up to leave her room. He stopped before he reached the door and watched her putting her tunic back on.

"Elleniel, is there something you wish to tell me?"

"About what?"

"Something you think your Adar should know about?"

"We have not seen each other in millennia! Of course there are things you do not know about me!"

Elleniel knew exactly what he was asking, and enjoyed tremendously acting like she was a pure and innocent daughter.

"Perhaps something about your personal life?"

"I am sorry, I know not what you are talking about."

Elrond knew she was lying. He decided to get his revenge in his own subtle way.

"Arwen will bring you a dress for dinner this evening."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You will attend dinner tonight. Many people are eager to finally meet you after the announcement last night. You will also spend the evening in the Hall, being courteous with our citizens and guests. You will dance and sing with your sister Arwen if being asked to."

"I have not recovered enough from my injury."

"Yes, you are. Unless you are a little weakling?"

"I am no weakling!"

"Then we will see you at dinner, Elleniel. Farewell!"

* * *

><p>Elleniel was pacing in front of the doors of the hall, hesitating to enter. She could think of at least a million places where she would rather be than in her father's Hall tonight. Even Mordor made it to that list! She knew she would be the center of attention, and she hated that with a passion.<p>

She almost fell when two elflings ran to the Hall's entrance and bumped into her.

"Sorry!" one of them said in Westron. Elleniel realized they were not elflings, but two of the hobbits she had met on the road. The one called Pippin ran to the Hall, impatient to have his dinner served. Merry stayed in front of Elleniel, watching her with interest.

"Good evening, Merry."

"Good evening, Lady Elleniel. I have wanted to see you for many days but Lord Elrond never allowed me in the healing rooms to see you. I would like to thank you for the ride on our way to Imladris, and for how you protected me and pushed me out of the way when the Nazguls were approaching."

"You do not have to thank me, Merry. Anyone would have done the same."

"Why are you not going in the Hall? Would you need... an escort?"

Elleniel was surprised by his question. How could this little halfling read her so well?

"Are you proposing yourself in this role, Merry?"

"It would be my honor, Lady Elleniel."

Since he could not offer the tall elleth the crook of his arm, he simply took her hand and pulled her in the dining room. All conversations stopped when Merry and Elleniel entered the Hall. Searching for available seats, Merry brought her to a table and gallantly pulled the chair beside his.

Elleniel smirked at her father, who was sitting at the table of honor with Arwen, Lord Erestor and Mithrandir. The empty chair beside him must have been reserved for her.

She was sitting between Merry and Legolas, facing Glorfindel and her brothers. Merry started to fill a plate for her.

"You have to taste this duck, my Lady. And these vegetables. I do not know their names, but the taste is heavenly."

"Thank you, Merry."

"There is so much I want to ask you! Would you mind answering a few questions?"

_Here we go, _she thought. _I will have to explain to everyone how I have been raised by the Valar and talk about my training._

Merry did not wait for her answer, and started with his questions. "I saw how you simply jumped on the Black Rider's horse to attack him. That was the craziest and most courageous act I have ever witnessed. Were you not afraid?"

"Yes, I was," she admitted reluctantly.

"You did not look like it. You looked... like a goddess of war!"

Elleniel laughed out loud.

"Merry! Believe me, I am always scared when I fight a Nazgul. I am not crazy! They are... so strong. Invisible unless they are cloaked. It is... simply terrifying. I always feel like turning around and running as fast as I can in the other direction."

"You got hurt a few days ago when you were with us, but did you get injured the other two times that you killed a Nazgul?"

"Yes, I did."

"Little injuries or bad ones?"

"Bad."

Elleniel was growing uncomfortable. She did not mind telling the friendly hobbit, but all the ellyn around them could also hear the discussion.

"How badly?" insisted Merry.

"Bad enough that I could not take care of myself, Merry."

"Who did then?"

"After my first fight, Mithrandir found me in the woods near Minas Morgul."

"Who is Mithrandir?"

"Sorry Merry! I forgot. Men know him under the name of Gandalf the Grey."

"And after the second fight?"

"Glorfindel was there to care of me."

Elleniel carefully avoided meeting Glorfindel's gaze. She did not want to blush and have everyone suspect his care had been of various kinds.

"Are you not afraid of the pain when you fight? I mean, you fought them three times and got hurt each time!"

"I can endure pain, Merry. It does not mean I look forward to feeling pain when I am about to fight a Nazgul that has a poisonous blade. You can ask Frodo how it feels!"

"And despite this, you keep going after them, asking for more?" asked Elrohir, obviously unhappy with the turn of events.

Elleniel felt a foot slowly stroking her calf, and stunned, looked at the ellyn surrounding her, trying to determine who had the nerves to caress her under the table, right under her father's nose. Merry was immediately eliminated, his legs were simply too short. Glorfindel was speaking with Elladan, not following her conversation with Merry. Only Prince Legolas and Elrohir were listening.

"I trained all my life for this, Elrohir. It is the will of the Valar."

"No, it was Mithrandir's will. And Saruman's. They then convinced the Valar to train you!"

Uncomfortable silence followed this declaration. Elleniel had no intentions of washing her dirty laundry in front of her father's guests.

"But Lady Elleniel," insisted Merry, "could you not declare that you have done enough and move on? You could come with us, we are going on a mission! A witch would come in handy in our fellowship!"

"I agree," said Prince Legolas. "I believe two wizards would be very useful to protect us."

"Thank you. But I cannot go with you. I have to complete my mission."

On her leg, the foot was becoming insistent. She could not drop her cloth on the floor to look under the table, could she? Puzzled, she controlled her annoyance and acted like everything was all right.

"I do not share their opinion. I say you drop your mission and stay in Imladris, Elleniel. I will not let you get hurt again."

She almost used a throat constricting spell on her brother.

"I did not ask for your opinion. Drop the subject, Elrohir!"

"I will not tolerate that you put your life in danger again!"

"And who are you to dictate how I should live my life?" she asked with a dangerously cold voice.

"The brother who shares a fëa with you and that wants you safe from now on!"

"Go to Mordor!" she yelled.

"You should show more consideration for your family!" he replied as loudly.

Their tone was going up, and everyone was looking at them with concern. Elleniel could not control her anger anymore. She stood, her chair falling on the floor behind her, and towered over her brother. There was power in the air, and it was coming from the furious elleth.

"Elrohir Elrondion, who do you think you are to tell me such a thing? Where were you all these years when I was being trained in the woods of Valinor by Lord Oromë and Lord Tulkas? Oh, I remember now! You were here, being pampered by Ada and Naneth, you little useless princeling!"

"Elleniel! Elrohir! Stop this at once!" their father's voice called from the table of honor.

"You stay away from me, and do not dare talk to me again, Elrohir! You are nothing more to me that some orc dropping!"

"Elleniel Elrondiel!" called Elrond, who was now angrily walking towards his children.

She felt she was going to lash out at her father too. After all, if he had left her in peace in the healing rooms, none of this would have happened. Elleniel turned her back on them all, and left the Hall to go in the gardens.

"Congratulations, brother!" Elladan told Elrohir.

"Why did you not support me? I have not said anything you do not think!"

"I would have said it differently, Elrohir. Why did you have to speak to her like this? We were supposed to talk to her together tomorrow, and in private!"

Sitting between them, Glorfindel rolled his eyes. The twins really did not understand their sister. There was a specific way of telling her unpleasant things without endangering your life, as he had found it during their journey together. Her twin brothers did not have that chance.

Glorfindel wanted to run after Elleniel to offer some comfort, but could not without raising his Lord's suspicions that he was her lover.

"Glorfindel, would you please go and make sure my daughter is fine?" asked Lord Elrond who had reached their table. Glorfindel successfully faked annoyance to miss the rest of the dinner, and with a stiff bow, he followed Elleniel in the gardens.

"Elrohir, Elladan, I want to see you two in my study immediately," Lord Elrond said to his sons.

* * *

><p>Elleniel was fuming. First, she was unhappy that she had shared her deepest thoughts with Merry while others were listening. She also was extremely angry at her brothers. Although Elrohir had been the speaker, she had no doubt that Elladan shared his opinion.<p>

"Stupid brainless pricks!" she yelled in the night.

"I hope you are not speaking of me, Lirimaer."

"You can go back to the Hall, Glorfindel! I have no need for you here. I have not fought a Nazgul, I fought with my brother! I am not bleeding! I am not hurt! Thank you for your concern, now you can go finish your dinner."

"Yes, you are, Elleniel. You are hurt in your fëa."

"What do you know about my fëa!"

"I know a lot about your fëa. I have always known how scared you are when you go after a Nazgul. You are very courageous. Courage is not the absence of fright; it is facing it over and over again. You are the most courageous elf I have ever met, Elleniel. But... you are scared and desperately fighting to hide it. There is no shame in being scared of a Ringwraith!"

When she did not answer, he sat on a bench while she was pacing in front of him.

"I know it hurts you to know your brothers think you are not up to the task. They are so afraid to lose you. You should not take this as an insult."

"You are right. They probably are the only ones that really care about me."

"That is untrue. Many people care about you. Your father, Lord Erestor, your mother in Valinor, even little Merry likes you very much."

"It is not the same kind of love."

"Then what kind of love are you looking for, Elleniel?"

She decided to ignore that question.

"A mate's love?" he insisted. "Is that what you are missing to feel complete?"

"You know the fëa I share with my brothers is stretched to its limit. We know no rest, Glorfindel. This longing is constant torture!"

"Then maybe you should find a fëa mate."

"Yes, Glorfindel, I will walk right back to the Hall and ask around who is interested in binding with me. Wait! I have an even better idea!" she insisted sarcastically. "Maybe I should ask the ellon that was caressing my calf during dinner!"

"Then you would be asking me, Lirimaer."

"It was you? But... you were not even looking at me!"

"You think I cannot stroke your leg without being subtle about it?"

Elleniel remained silent.

"So... will you ask me, Elleniel?"

"Stop jesting, Glorfindel. This is no laughing matter! It is not because we have shared intimacy a few times that we need to be mated for eternity. Tell me, when was the last time you had a serious long term relationship with an elleth?"

Glorfindel laughed.

"Did you ever have a serious relationship, Glorfindel?"

"Fine, case closed. Can I bring you back to the healing rooms? Your father will not rest until you are safely back."

* * *

><p>Elleniel awakened at dawn the next morning. She proceeded with her morning routine, wondering why Glorfindel had not visited her during the night. She started reading a poetry book Erestor had brought her the previous day, waiting for her lover to finally show up. But instead of Glorfindel, Elrohir and Elladan dropped by to apologize, dressed in their silver armors.<p>

"Where are you going?" she asked, dismissing their apologies for more important matters. They were going to battle!

"Last night, a group of orcs has been seen marching towards Imladris. They are coming from the East."

"How many?" Elleniel asked.

"At least 200."

"How many guards do we have?"

"Not enough Elleniel! We have to go now! We just wanted to see you to apologize before we left."

"Fine! You are forgiven. Where is Glorfindel? Is he going with you?" she asked, worried.

"He is our Commander, Elleniel. Of course he is going!" replied Elrohir.

"He is getting the guard ready," continued Elladan. "Estel, Prince Legolas and Boromir of Gondor will join us. They will leave shortly; we need to go!"

"Wait for me! I will go too!"

"You still have to rest, Elleniel. Stay here, we will come to see you after the battle."

Her brothers left in a hurry, and Elleniel went to the balcony to watch the guard leave for battle. She saw her brothers jump on their horses, and Glorfindel at the head of the troops. The Commander was regal in his golden armor, his blonde hair flowing in the wind.

Glorfindel saw her and gave her a warning look. She knew that look. He was silently asking her to stay in Imladris, not to follow them after their departure.

Her feral smile told him she was going to follow, with or without his permissio_n. __These Peredhil__ are the most obstinate elves that Middle Earth has __ever borne, _he thought in annoyance. He turned his back on her, and he went out of the gate, followed by all the Imladris warriors and some of the visitors that were willing to fight with them.

Once they had disappeared, Elleniel went to Glorfindel's room, where she knew he kept her weapons. She borrowed a tunic and leggings from Elladan, and managed to get to the stables without being seen. Ithil was nervous, wondering why all other battle horses had left while she stayed there. She acknowledged Elleniel's presence with a whine, and pranced when she saw her mistress was pulling her out of her box.

Elleniel mounted with difficulty, and understood she still had ways to go before she was completely healed. She saw her father hurrying down the main stairs, and escaped before he could reach her.

Elleniel was less than an hour behind the guards. She followed their trail, and eventually reached the battlefield, where the elves were outnumbered 4 to 1. There were many orc bodies on the ground, but the Valar be thanked, no elf had fallen yet.

Elleniel searched for the golden warrior and saw him, still on Asfaloth, fight with ferocity three orcs at the same time. She spotted her brothers quickly too, fighting side by side like they usually did. She galloped to the battle, and entered a mass of ocs at full speed, her sword drawn, slashing orc flesh on her way to Glorfindel.

She fought beside her lover for long minutes. They were the deadliest pair on the battlefield. Elleniel was getting tired much quicker than usual, and she realized her wound had reopened when she felt fluid on her stomach, underneath the tunic. She paused for a few seconds, assessing how the battle was going. She had to perceive this battle with a different view than a warrior's. They were outnumbered. She needed to fight like a witch if she wanted to limit the number of deaths on the elven side.

"Do not stop fighting!" Glorfindel yelled, wondering what she was doing standing there without moving.

Elleniel selected a deadly spell, one that would crush the chest bones of an opponent. She began chanting, gathering all her powers to strike as many orcs as possible at the same time. She knew she could kill an orc with this spell, but she had never tried on numerous orcs at the same time. It looked like the best time to try it. She searched for an area where elves were few, and she directed a deadly ray to a mass of thirty orcs that we encircling the south side of the battlefield.

In a concert of screams and bone crashing noises, the orcs fell to the ground, dead or mortally wounded. Elleniel felt her strength falter, and knew she could only do it once more, maybe twice. She looked for another area to strike while Glorfindel was fighting to protect her from the orcs who had now found a new target in the glowing Elleniel.

Elleniel eliminated another fifty orcs before she grabbed Ithil's mane, feeling light-headed.

"Go Elleniel, go! You have done enough for today!" Glorfindel hit her mare's side to send her away from the battlefield, and Ithil carried Elleniel to a nearby forest, where she kept watching the fight.

Her magic had greatly improved the situation of the elves, and within an hour, the fight was over.

Elleniel was feeling much better and decided to go back to see her brothers, who were unsuccessfully trying to make a hostage talk.

"Hello, Elflings!" she told them with a pleasant smile. "Do you need help with this?"

"We cannot get him to talk, sister. He prefers to die than to tell us the purpose of this fight."

"Oh really? Let me give it a try."

She dismounted and stood in front of the beast. Suddenly, the orc started to choke and held his throat desperately. The elves who were watching were wondering what was going on when they realized Elleniel's hand was blue and was doing a contracting movement. She was choking the beast without even touching him. Suddenly, the orc's body lifted in the air, and went above their heads by about fifteen feet. The orc was panicking, moving his feet desperately while trying to remove the hold on his neck.

"So, foul beast, will you tell me why you have come to Imladris?"

"No!" he choked.

Her grip closed even more, and his eyes were bulging out of their orbits. She shook her hand violently, and his body jerked above their heads.

"Is this your final answer?"

"Witch…"

"Are you insulting me?" she asked with a cruel smile. "I could have even more fun with you!"

"Looking for… the witch… Nazgul killer… He wants her…" the orc panted.

Elleniel suddenly realized that either Sauron or Saruman was sending armies of orcs to catch her. Her presence in Imladris was putting everyone's lives at risk. She dropped the orc at once and he fell head first, breaking his neck when he touched the ground.

She heard the whispers of the crowd around her. Looking at their faces, she realized the warriors were either scared or disgusted by her actions. And probably by her as a person too. Ellith were supposed to be sweet creatures, requiring their protection against evil. And here was one who could cruelly attack and torture orcs better than anyone could. They had heard their Lord's daughter was powerful, and twice that day she had shown them how dangerous she actually was.

Glorfindel put a hand on her arm.

"I am risking your lives by being here," she whispered to him, distressed. "And look at them! If they were mortals, they would run after me with pikes and burn me alive!"

"So we will leave," he replied with calm.

"I am putting your life at risk too! We cannot fight armies of orcs by ourselves!" She started walking away from him. "I am sorry, Glorfindel. This is the end of your mission. I have to go. Alone."

He grabbed her hand before she was out of reach.

"I am going with you, whether you like it or not!"

"No! I told you I will not risk your life!" she yelled at him, despite the fact that most elves were still gathered around them and were watching the exchange with a mix of curiosity and distaste.

Glorfindel pulled her arm none too gently, and enveloping her in his arms, he gave her a fierce kiss. Elleniel fought him, hitting his armor but causing him very little pain. She did not want to use magic against him, she cared too much for him to purposely hurt him. His skilled mouth was exploring hers with hunger, and she melted in his arms. How could he have such power over her senses? Oblivious to the spectators, she started kissing him back eagerly.

When they separated, she realized everyone was still watching, especially her two brothers who looked like they were about to murder their Commander.

Elleniel had not only kissed Glorfindel in public, but she was also putting Imladris in jeopardy. And she had to avoid at all cost a confrontation with her fuming brothers. She decided to fly away. She jumped on Ithil and escaped the battlefield to reach Imladris before them all. She could be packed and on her way East within minutes from reaching her father's realm.

Far in the back, she started to hear another horse galloping, and saw a glitter of gold at the horizon. Glorfindel was following her, and she did not stand a chance to escape as he was riding the best stallion of Imladris.

* * *

><p>She entered the healing room and started to gather her belongings for a long trip. In fact, she was quite sure she would never be coming back to Imladris, whatever the outcome of the war. Glorfindel arrived while she was almost done.<p>

"Elleniel, what are you doing?"

"Is it not obvious? I am leaving!"

"What is going on here?" Lord Elrond asked, entering her room after Glorfindel. "Is the battle over, Commander? I would like to hear your report immediately!"

"Yes, my Lord. We eliminated this vermin completely. Elleniel killed many of them with an incredible bone crushing spell."

Elleniel snorted.

"Did we have losses on our side?" inquired Elrond.

"None, only a few injured warriors."

"Then why are you here packing your belongings, Elleniel?" asked her father.

"Has everyone here suddenly become dumb?" she asked disrespectfully. "I am leaving!"

"Why?"

"The Nazguls are after me, Ada. They sent these orcs to attack Imladris so they could capture me and bring me to Minas Morgul."

"Elleniel, stop moving around and look at me!"

Elleniel looked at her father and Glorfindel who were both glaring at her.

"We eliminated the orcs! I do not see the urgency for you to leave immediately!" Elrond insisted.

"I am putting everyone in danger! I need to go now!"

"There will be no other orc attack for a few weeks! Can you not stay a few days? We can talk about this! Glorfindel can prepare a plan for the two of you to escape from them."

"There is no two of us!" Elleniel yelled.

"This is not what I thought I saw!" added a new voice.

They all turned around to find Elladan entering the room.

"There seemed to be plenty of the two of you earlier on the battlefield!"

"What are you talking about?" Elrond asked his son. "Where is your brother?"

"Elrohir stayed to command the troops while they burn the carcasses. I thought it better for me to come here, I am not sure Elrohir could have controlled himself in this situation."

"What situation?" Elrond asked.

"Do I tell him or do you prefer to do it?" Elladan asked his Commander.

"Do not do this!" Elleniel interrupted. She did not see the point for Elladan to ensure Glorfindel would fall into disfavour in Imladris if their relationship was ending at this very moment.

Glorfindel turned to Elrond, and took a few seconds to choose his words with great care.

"My Lord, during our trip, Elleniel and I shared... intimacy."

"What he really means to say, Ada, is that he submitted Elleniel to his sexual will," Elladan spit with anger.

"What?" asked Elleniel in disbelief.

"This is not how it happened!" Glorfindel defended himself. "Elleniel gave herself to me willingly!"

"Glorfindel? You lied to me!" Elrond recalled.

"My Lord, I am sorry! I did not lie to you. I said I was not willing to let you know who her lover was, but when you said that you would be happy if her lover was anything like Erestor or me, I told you you would be happy with her choice!"

"You took advantage of my daughter!" hissed Elrond.

"Will you all stop talking about me like I am not present? Like I am an elfling? No one took advantage of me, for Eru's sake!"

She looked at them with exasperation. After the discussion at dinner the previous night, Elleniel realized she was stuck with ellyn that were all trying to control her life and Istari that were controlling her powers. For all her eternity, her freedom would be limited by these males that would seek to protect her against her will and make decisions for her.

As peredhel, she had the choice between immortal life as an elf or her mortal side, living amongst men, growing old until her life ended. She had been secretly seduced with the idea of mortality in Valinor, when she had been rejected by her kin. Only the Valar and her naneth had really cared for her back there. And now, once again, she had been rejected by the elves on the battlefield, her family was trying to control her and the Istari would never let her go. Mortality was her only way out. She had to make a cut right there, right now with her family.

"There is nothing worth mentioning between Glorfindel and I. In fact, there is nothing worth mentioning about me and anyone in Imladris. Or in Middle Earth, as a matter of fact. I will be alone from now on, it will be much better for all of us!"

"Elleniel, why are you saying such things?" Elrond asked in dismay. "Many people care for you! Love you!"

"Adar, you have no idea what you are talking about! Here, just like in Valinor, people are scared of me! You should have seen the faces of the warriors on the battlefield, after I sent this orc flying in the air and dropped him on the ground! Not only do I put them in danger by my presence here, but I am a monster to them!"

"They will get used to you, Elleniel. You are my daughter, you belong here! In Imladris, with your family!"

"This is where you are mistaken. I do not belong with elves! I do not want to be an Istar! Where does that leave me, Ada?"

Lord Elrond suddenly understood where she was going with this.

"Elleniel? Please tell me Lord Oromë or Lord Tulkas made you do the choice of the Peredhil! Please tell me you chose to become a full elf like your brothers did centuries ago!"

"No, I did not make the choice officially yet," Elleniel confirmed to her father's consternation.

Glorfindel suddenly realized with horror that Elleniel had not made her Peredhel choice yet, waiting to see which destiny would be best for her in Middle Earth. So far, her mission was taking its toll on her well-being, both mentally and physically. The Imladris elves were not reacting well to the display of her powers, Elleniel had difficulty connecting with her family, especially with her brothers, who could not read her as well as they could read each other. As a result, Elleniel was drawn to the Gift of Men, as it was called by elves that were tired of living eternally.

"Glorfindel! Elladan! Out of this room now!" Elrond said, gazing at his daughter.

"My Lord, please let me try to speak to her..." Glorfindel started.

"Elleniel, you cannot do this!" cried Elladan at the same time.

"I said out!" Elrond repeated firmly to the disobeying ellyn.

They both left the room, looking at each other with animosity. They stayed behind the closed door, hoping they would hear what was going on in the room. After more than an hour, Elrond finally came out, his face grim.

"I cannot lose her like I lost my twin brother! I cannot lose her like I will lose Arwen!" Elrond said to Glorfindel and Elladan. "Eru help me, I was not able to move her! She is determined to complete her mission alone," he specified to Glorfindel, "and to choose mortality once the war is over. All I could make her accept is to stay here for two days before leaving so she can heal a bit more. Her wound has reopened, I had to change her bandages."

Elladan took his father by the shoulder and they slowly walked with their backs hunched towards the family aisle.

Glorfindel was not going to admit defeat so easily. He realized the door frame was slightly glowing blue. Elleniel had blocked the door to ensure no one would bother her until her departure.

_If she thinks it will keep me away from her, she does not know me well._


	6. Chapter 6 Binding

_Chapter 5 ended with:_

_Glorfindel was not going to admit defeat so easily. He realized the door frame was slightly glowing blue. Elleniel had blocked the door to ensure no one would bother her until her departure._

If she thinks it will keep me away from her, she does not know me well.

**Chapter 6 - Binding**

He had decided to climb up to her balcony. She was on the second floor, but an oak was towering over the healing aisle, and to jump from the tree branch to the balcony was easy, at least for an elf.

The moon was the only source of light in her room. Glorfindel could see her shape in the bed. He leaped silently from the tree, hoping that Elleniel was sleeping and would not hear him. She did not move when he landed on the balcony. He could proceed with his plan, which was simple enough. He would wake her up, and talk to her. He had no doubt he would easily make her listen to reason.

For one, he was planning to tell her that he understood her mission and that he would never ask her to drop it like her brothers had done. He realized she had the courage and strength required, and would always be there to support her, before or after a fight. But one thing was for sure: he would not let her pursue this mission without him being present to help her when she needed him.

Convincing her to choose the elvish immortality was a different story. He had spent many hours preparing what he would say to her about that, and he had settled for telling the truth. Although he had never had a serious relationship before, as she had outlined it to him in the gardens, he could tell the difference between feelings of love and lust, between true devotion and a fling, between a fëa-mate and a lover. And he knew that what he felt for Elleniel was so much more than what he had felt with anyone before. Having seen her on the brink of death twice had given him a taste of what losing her would cause him: fading. And fading only came with the loss of a true fëa-mate.

He could give her everything she was craving for: love, acceptance of her differences, trust in her capabilities, someone she could count on at all times. If she bound herself to him, they could share a link similar to the one she shared with her brothers, but without this tormenting longing she felt, as they could complete the binding with the necessary physical side.

It seemed easy enough to convince her, as he was slowly walking towards her bed. She was sleeping on her back, her expression peaceful. Her skin was glowing in the moonlight, her long black hair contrasting on the whiteness of the pillow. The bed sheet had fallen on the floor, and she was only wearing a tiny night gown that he had never seen before.

She sighed softly, smiling in her sleep. He hesitated between waking her up or just sitting on her bed, waiting for her to wake up in the morning. He was not against admiring her for a few hours while she slept.

"Glorfindel," she moaned.

She was dreaming of him? Whatever the dream was, it seemed very passionate to him. Maybe he could wake her up by making her dream a reality? Unable to resist the temptation, he sat beside her and started caressing her shoulder. She did not wake, and he became a bit bolder. He bent over her body and started kissing her neck, going lower until he reached her breast.

She was moaning softly now, and her hand started to gently move up his arm and neck. He moved his head up to see if she was awake or still dreaming. Her eyes were still closed, but she was smiling.

"Glorfindel?" she asked with a dreamy voice.

"Yes, my love?"

She opened her eyes, and at the same time, he started feeling a strong grip on his neck.

"Did you really think I would not foresee your little stunt?" she asked with sarcasm.

In a flash of blue light, he was suddenly projected away from her bed, and was thrown through the window, falling hard on the ground two floors below. He was stunned for a moment, but once he realized he was completely unhurt, he burst out laughing.

She bent over the railing to look at him.

"I am glad you liked the lesson, Glorfindel!" Seeing his reaction to her attack, she could not help but laugh too.

"I suppose I have to thank you for the absence of broken bones?"

"Of course! I wanted to scare you, not to hurt you."

Glorfindel was not going to admit defeat. Under her glare, he quickly climbed the oak again, and stilled on the branch that was close to her balcony.

"Do I look like I am afraid?" he teased her.

"You really should be. Why were you in my room in the first place? I thought I had been clear that I wanted to be left alone?"

"I cannot and will not leave you alone. I need to speak to you."

"My father already tried to make me change my mind, Glorfindel. It did not work."

"This is not what I want to talk to you about." He was certainly not going to let her know right away that the topic of his conversation would eventually lead to discussing her immortality. He wanted to have a chance to at least start talking before he was shut out.

"What then?" she asked with curiosity.

"I would like to show you something. A place that I know near the waterfalls."

"I know every place around here. I spent twenty years exploring Imladris with my brothers before I was sent to Valinor."

"You do not know this place. Otherwise, we would have gone together," he insisted.

"Is this a romantic place?" she guessed. "Oh Gods, I cannot believe you want to bring me to a romantic place! You really only think about sex, do you not? Can you not understand that sometimes, like this very night, I want to be alone? You should go visit one of your other lovers, Glorfindel. I am not good company tonight."

It tore her heart to throw him in someone else's arms, but she needed to somehow end her relationship with him too. They had been lovers for a relatively short period of time, but she knew it could become so much more should one of them insist to explore the developing possibilities of their romance.

"I do not want to be with anyone else tonight, Elleniel. I want to bring you to that special place."

It seemed to her that she would have to be clearer for him to understand the message.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked him. "Are you _pity fucking_ your Lord's daughter to gain some advantages here? Let me tell you, your prospects are not too bright. My father and both my brothers are furious."

Her attack had been vicious, but not unexpected. Glorfindel knew that she was trying to push him away. Where her brothers would have taken the bait and pick up a fight with her, he calmly extended her hand to her.

"Stop insulting us both. Come," he insisted. "Take my hand, and we will take a ride. We will take Asfaloth with us, I want us to be back before sunrise."

"I cannot go out in my nightgown," Elleniel offered as a last argument.

"I will lend you my cloak. Hurry, we only have two hours of night left!"

* * *

><p>"How come I have never seen this place?" she asked him in amazement. They were standing in a small cave close to the waterfalls. Right in the middle was a warm pond of water, mirroring the moonlight that was shining through the entrance. Minerals were on every wall, glowing in the light, making this scenery breathtaking. "A dwarf would be in heaven here, Glorfindel."<p>

"The entrance was only revealed a century ago, after a landslide. Your brothers made the discovery, and it has become a very popular place for lovers."

"Are you saying we might have visitors tonight?"

"Not at that hour," he said, starting to undress. "Come on, you will see how the water is warm."

Elleniel watched him fold his clothes with application. She took off her night gown and deliberately threw it in his face, before throwing herself in the water, splashing him abundantly.

"Some days, you act just like your brothers. I was hoping that you were more mature," he said with faked annoyance.

"Says the ellon who climbed in a tree and entered my bedroom by the window…" she replied with a grin.

She watched him as he slowly entered the water. Glorfindel was a powerful Eldar, that could be seen at first glance. Physically, few ellyn were as muscular as he was. But there was more to it. Glorfindel was older than her own father and Erestor. Although he liked having fun, a side of him he only seemed to show her, there was wisdom emanating from him at all times. It could be seen in his eyes, in his behavior and his advices.

She felt that tonight, he was using this mental power in full gear. Usually, when they were alone, she did not feel so intimidated. He always made sure she was comfortable and relaxed with him. But tonight? He was up to something, that was clear to Elleniel.

She closed her eyes and leaned against a rock, water up to her neck.

"This feels great," she said to break the silence.

"I knew you would like it," he replied, also relaxing with his eyes closed.

_This is it? _she thought. _He only brought me here to enjoy a warm bath?_

"Are you disappointed with something, Lirimaer?" he asked, his face impassive.

"Maybe a little," she admitted. "This is our last night together…"

"Then come get what you wish to have, Elleniel," he said, not moving from his place.

His gaze was holding hers captive. She was ambivalent. She could stay where she was and fake indifference. But tonight, he was proving that he had the capacity of feeling her emotions. She had underestimated him. He smiled with knowledge. He was reading her like an open book. Her breathing picked up. Could he read how the she-warrior that she was was tempted to submit to him?

Glorfindel did not have magical powers per se, but like his Lord Elrond, he could make such a display of wisdom, confidence and presence that many elves were naturally submitting to his will. He had never acted like this in front of her, as he particularly liked to watch her interact with others and with him. Her behavior was completely unpredictable, and quite entertaining. But when her intentions went in such wrong directions, like ignoring the attraction between them and choosing mortality to avoid having to confront her differences with her kin, he had to act to protect what he considered to be his.

"Elleniel," he called her patiently.

_Just one last time, _she decided. She slowly swam in his direction, put her arms around his neck and gave him a tender kiss. She put much feeling into that kiss, as if to tell him the words that were stuck in her throat. How she had come to like him, to even love him, and how much she would be missing him after her departure.

In one swift movement, he had her pinned to a rock, and was eagerly returning her kiss. She opened her mouth to him when his tongue demanded entrance and moaned softly as he was exploring it thoroughly. His mouth left hers and moved to nibble the tip of her ear while his right hand was slowly moving up her waist to massage her breast.

"Glorfindel, I need you now," she stated, unable to wait anymore. She had felt alone and tormented all day. She wanted to share their physical connection, feel the incredible pleasure he could give her and see him rendered helpless by delight.

"Not yet, Meleth nin," he replied, to her annoyance. She was not where she needed to be for the little talk he was planning to have with her. It was true, she was a constant temptation to him. Each time he saw her, he remembered the feeling of being inside of her, of plunging in her warmth, and he could barely suppress the urge to take her, even in public. But tonight, he was playing his last card. He could not let her escape him. She would not leave this cave until she was bound to him.

His hand traveled down to the apex of her thighs, and started to slowly caress her.

"Please," she moaned in his neck, her head abandoned against his shoulder.

"Please what?" he asked huskily. Seeing this warrior-witch so weak against his chest tested his self-control. He resisted the urge and kept torturing her slowly.

"Please make me feel something…" she begged shamelessly. "Please take me. I want to feel you inside of me. I want to feel..."

She did not have time to complete the sentence that he had sheathed himself in one swift movement. He put her legs around his waist and started to pump steadily inside of his lover. It was her cries of delight that suddenly made him regain consciousness. He had completely lost control, and would lose his window of opportunity. He thrust a few more times to imprint the sensations in his mind and body, and then slowed down to a torturing pace. Elleniel did not like the change.

"Glorfindel, for Eru's sake, I am a warrior. You can safely take me harder than this!" she complained, looking at him with both anger and hunger.

"I think it is time to have our talk."

"What talk? I do not want to talk! Take me faster!"

But he did not listen to her. He kept pumping slowly in and out of her body, causing the pleasure to build, but very slowly, making her hesitate between letting him control the pace or remove herself in protest. He grabbed her waist with both hands, ensuring she would not be able to stop his movements.

"Elleniel, what do you feel for me?"

"What?" she asked, her eyes a little more focused than before.

"I think we should talk about our feelings towards each other. Do you want me to tell you how I feel about you?"

When she did not answer, he thrust a little harder and acted like her resulting whimper was acquiescence.

"I love you, Elleniel. I love you," he repeated, looking at her directly in the eyes. "I have been waiting for you since my first life in the First Age. When I was reborn, I arrived in Imladris and spent millennia still searching for my fëa-mate. And when I finally met her, I did not recognize her immediately. It is you, Elleniel. I realized our connection during our first trip together, even before we made love. Do you remember our first time?" he inquired, caressing her waist with one hand and her face with the other. He did not need to hold her waist with both hands anymore, she was completely enthralled by the rhythm of his hips and by his words.

"I remember," she whispered.

"We made love in water like we are doing right now. It seems that water will be the element for our first acts…"

"What do you mean?" she asked with a ragged breath.

He let the chill of pleasure die in his loin before he continued talking and plunging into her. This was becoming harder by the second.

"We made love for the first time in a little river, and our binding will take place in a pond…"

"Binding?" she asked, wondering if she had heard properly. The blood was throbbing in her ears, and his ragged breath in her ear what not making it easy to hear their whispered discussion.

"Yes, Meleth nin. I want to bind with you. This is what fëa-mates do, and we are mates. Be my wife," he insisted. "Finally give peace to your soul by sharing a fëa with someone else than your brothers. You know your soul longs for mine."

"Yes," she acknowledged. "I long for you too. But I cannot live like this anymore, Glorfindel," she said, using all her strength to still his movements. "I love you too much to put your life in danger. And what kind of life would you live if you were to travel with me instead of being happy in Imladris? You know everyone is scared of my powers. You know the Istar will try to use me until my death."

"I will be there to protect you, Elleniel. From both the Istar and our kin. You will find your place in elvenkind, I swear it. I will make you happy, my love. But before, make me the happiest ellon alive by accepting to be my wife."

He forcefully resumed his thrusting, and she closed her eyes to savor the feelings it created in her body and soul.

"Tell me I am the only one for you."

"You are the only one," she confirmed. "I never made love with anyone else and do not regret it, because you bring me such pleasure… I feel our bodies are made for each other."

She had said the only thing that bothered him about their binding. He knew he should have let her experience love with other ellyn before making her his, so she could see if he corresponded to her true desires. But he discovered himself to be too selfish as far as she was concerned. He could not picture her with anyone else without rage quickly building inside of him. It was too late now to go back. She was a few minutes from climaxing and binding herself to him.

"Say the words," he asked with a confidence he did not really feel inside. He would only believe it once he saw the binding light surrounding them.

"Glorfindel of Gondolin," she started, and stopped to moan loudly when his shaft began to touch her sensible point inside her. He slowed down again to help her regain control, and she continued the words. "I am binding myself to you now and for all eternity. I am taking you to be my husband."

She had said it! Now he only needed to say the same, and bring her to completion.

"Elleniel Elrondiel, Blue Istar, I am binding myself to you now and for all eternity. I am taking you to be my wife."

Now he could let go completely. He put her arms around his neck, and kissing her passionately, he started pounding into her like she had been begging for. They were moaning in each other's mouth until Elleniel could not breathe anymore, and removed her lips from his.

"Look at me," he asked. He could feel her body grow rigid, getting ready for the climax. When she came, her eyes became glossy, and he felt her muscles contract around him. He then let go, releasing himself inside of her warmth.

A blinding light encircled them until they were both appeased. He grabbed her legs, and still sheathed inside of her, brought her out of the pond to lie down on his cloak. He kept kissing her and murmuring tender words of love. She was his for eternity. She could not choose mortality anymore. By binding herself to him, she had made the choice of the Peredhil.

Elleniel suddenly realized how peaceful she felt. She could feel Glorfindel's emotions, his male presence in her fëa. But where was the connection with her brothers? How come she could not feel them anymore? How come the torturing longing for them was gone?

* * *

><p>Elrohir was awoken by a sudden change in his fëa. Something was amiss. His soul felt much less stretched than before. He looked for the connection with Elladan, and found it easily. His brother was still sleeping, oblivious to the change. Elrohir then felt that the connection with their sister was missing. What had happened to her?<p>

He ran to the room next to his and woke his brother up violently.

"Do you feel Elleniel?" he asked Elladan.

"What?" Elladan was confused.

"Do you feel Elleniel?" Elrohir asked again.

When he saw his twin's eyes grow weary, he knew something was really wrong with their sister. They ran to the healing room where she was sleeping. The door was no longer locked by magic, and she was no longer in her room.

"She is dead!"

"She is not dead! She cannot be dead!" Elladan replied. He was trying to comfort his brother, but he knew Elrohir was probably right. How else could they explain the sudden disappearance of their link with Elleniel?

Elrohir ran to his father's apartment, Elladan running after him, and they both erupted in the private bedroom where their father was sleeping.

It took him quite some time to understand what his panicked sons were trying to tell him.

"Did you search for her in the palace?" he asked, trying to keep his calm. Many things could have happened to cut the link between his triplet children. They were right, Elleniel could have passed away. But she also could have chosen mortality during the night. Elrond clearly remembered how he had immediately lost his link with his brother Elros when he had made the same choice. There was also the possibility that she had bound herself to someone else, creating a new link with her mate.

"We looked in her room, she was not there."

Elrond called for his servant, and when he appeared, he asked him to get Lord Erestor and Lord Glorfindel to organize the search.

"We will find her, my sons, do not worry. I am sure there is a good explanation. I seriously doubt she is deceased. There are no mortal dangers within the borders of our realm."

Erestor arrived shortly after, fully dressed but his hair slightly disheveled. He reported that Glorfindel had disappeared as well.

"This is our explanation, then. They both left to continue Elleniel's mission."

"Their weapons are all here," interjected Erestor. "They might have left together, but not for her mission. They probably are still within our borders."

"I agree with you, Erestor. Let's organize the searches. Each of you will lead a group of five guards. Each of us will go to a different border. Erestor, please make sure the guards are ready to leave within the hour."

"Yes, my Lord," the councilor replied, leaving his Lord's bedroom.

"We will find her," Elrond promised his sons.

At sunrise, as the search party was getting ready to leave in four groups, a horse emerged from the forest.

Asfaloth was carrying his master, who was holding his new wife in front of him. Seeing they would have a welcome party, Elleniel closed the cloak around her to hide her nightgown.

"I told you I should have gotten dressed," she told him.

"I could not resist seeing you in this tiny little gown. Please promise you will keep it forever," he whispered in her ear, making her shiver. They both felt the need to consummate their bond again.

"How long until we get rid of them?" Elleniel asked.

"Probably most of the morning. You deal with your brothers, and I will deal with your father."

"I do not envy you."

"I do not envy you either."

Elleniel jumped down the horse as soon as they reached the main staircase of the palace, and climbed the stairs swiftly, avoiding her father's gaze. Elrohir grabbed her arm as she passed by him.

"Let go of me!" Elleniel ordered. "Do not make a laughing matter out of our family in front of the guards," she whispered angrily.

"What happened to you?"

"Follow me to my room," she sighed. "You too, Elladan."

* * *

><p>"I am very disappointed, Lord Glorfindel. You have neglected to ask for your Lord's permission to bind yourself to an elleth, and worst of all, you completely forgot to ask her father's authorization before doing so."<p>

"Elleniel is a mature elleth, a Blue Istar. We did not feel we needed to ask anyone's permission."

"Getting my permission was also required," Mithrandir's voice interrupted.

"I am handling it, Mithrandir," Elrond replied with annoyance. "I am her father after all."

"And I am her superior in the Istar order. This binding might have an impact on her mission. I should have been consulted!"

"And you are under my command, Glorfindel! You have led my daughter on the wrong path, and now we all have to deal with the consequences of your choice. I should demote you from your Commander position, and..."

"Do not give me this speech, young Elrond," Glorfindel cut icily. "I am a Lord of Gondolin, Head of the House of the Golden Flower. I organized the escape of your father Eärendil during the destruction of Gondolin, and protected him from certain death, losing my life doing so. You might be Lord of Imladris, but I chose freely to serve you when I was reborn. I can freely choose to leave your service. Do not push me to leave with my mate!"

"You took her away from me and her brothers! I should never have trusted you with her life and well-being!"

"My Lords! Please calm down. You do not think what you are saying!" said Mithrandir, realizing things were going to get out of hand quickly. Lord Glorfindel was as important as Lord Elrond for most elven folks. Their side would be greatly weakened facing Sauron if the two Lords were in open war with each other.

Both elf Lords were facing each other, jaws locked and eyes defying the other.

"Elrond, do you realize that Elleniel's binding with Glorfindel secured her kinship to elvenkind?" asked Mithrandir. "She cannot go back and chose mortality anymore. You will never lose her, at least to the Peredhel choice. But you might lose her in other ways..."

"In what ways?"

"She could leave this realm never to come back, mellon."

Elrond's eyes narrowed on Glorfindel. "You would not dare."

"Elleniel makes her own decisions, Elrond. You know that as much as I do."

"Is she planning to continue her mission?" Mithrandir asked.

"Yes."

"And you will not stop her now that she is bound to you?"

"No. She is still an Istar, Mithrandir. Until her mission is complete. What will happen then is another matter, I hope you realize that."

"Yes, I do. As Head of the Istari, Saruman the White should release her from her oath. But as he is now a traitor to our cause and to our order, I promise you that I will release her from her oath once Sauron is defeated."

"I will hold you to that. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go prepare our trip. My wife and I will be leaving tomorrow," he said, insisting on the word _wife_, making Elrond wince.

"Where will you go?" asked Elrond, keeping his tone in check. He understood Elleniel was no longer his to protect, and would accept whatever his daughter decided to grant him in terms of attention. It did not mean he was happy with the situation, and with his new son-in-law.

"To Lothlorien. Elleniel desires to speak with her grandmother Galadriel before we decide on her next move."

"Elleniel will not join the Fellowship?" asked Mithrandir.

"No. Her presence would only make your quest more dangerous. While you will be heading south on the western side of the mountains, we will go east and cross the mountains, and follow the River Anduin to reach Lothlorien."

* * *

><p>Elleniel entered her room and went behind the screen to get quickly dressed.<p>

"What happened, Elleniel?" attacked Elrohir. "We do not feel you anymore. We thought you dead! How did you do it?"

Elleniel waited until she was done before she answered. She sat on a couch and gestured for her brothers to do the same. Although she thought her brothers were opinionated, she loved them with all her heart. She wanted to deliver the news of her binding in the best way possible, but had no idea how to say it without causing them much grief.

"Does it have anything to do with Glorfindel?" guessed Elladan.

"Yes. Glorfindel and I... have bounded last night."

"Bounded? As in binding with a fëa-mate?"

"Yes."

"But he is not your fëa-mate!"

"And why would you say that?" asked Elleniel, displaying a patience she was far from feeling.

"Because... you cannot love him! Our bond is stronger than anything! It does not allow us to feel love for anyone else than the three of us!"

"This has always been our assumption, Elrohir. But I experienced something different when I opened my heart to Glorfindel. I was fascinated by him, and purposely infuriated him to see his reactions. But I guess he was used to your banter, and did not react as much as I would have liked. We slowly became friends, and after that step, quickly became lovers. The danger we have been living in lately has made our relationship quite passionate. I love him, brothers. I really do! It is possible to feel love for other people than just the three of us. I am sure you will eventually too. It should be easier for you now that our fëa is not bound anymore. Do you not feel that your soul is more peaceful now? That the longing is gone?"

"It is not gone," observed Elrohir. "It is much better than before, but not completely gone."

"And it will improve when you will each find a mate of your own. Do not close your minds to this possibility. We are triplets, not mates. We were not meant to bind together. Sooner or later, you will marry too."

"Did he push you into this?"

"No!" Elleniel exclaimed, half-insulted. "I can make decisions on my own!"

They looked at her with suspicion.

"Maybe he pushed a little..." she admitted. "I was confused about our relationship, and regarding my Peredhel decision... He helped me see that our binding was unavoidable. There were no reason for us to wait any longer. It was all for the best."

"I wish you would have seek our advice," Elladan said.

"The last advice you gave me was to stay in Imladris doing needlework."

"We wanted to protect you."

"Glorfindel would never ask me to stay here, far from any danger. He understands me better than you do, I think."

"It is not that we do not understand you. We share – shared," he corrected, "the same fëa. The battle lust is in your blood as much as it is present in ours. We simply let our fear for you overcome your best interest."

"I am glad you realize that. I do not want you to worry for me. Glorfindel and I will be heading for Lothlorien. What is your next move?"

"We will go with the Dunedain rangers."

There was a knock, and she knew her new mate was standing at the door, politely waiting to be granted access to her room. Her brothers understood who was at the door by the slight increase in their sister's heartbeat.

They slowly rose, knowing she was eager to be reunited with her mate after a long hour without him. Elrohir bent over her form, still seated on the couch, and gave her a long kiss. Elladan did the same once Elrohir had released Elleniel.

They left a speechless Elleniel and opened the door, smirking at their new brother-in-law, who could only guess what had just happened when he saw his blushing mate. He did not say a word, knowing the twins had taken that liberty for the last time, leaving him the exclusivity of her kisses from now on. He sat beside her, took her in his arms and started kissing her to erase what had just happened from her memory. It was not long until she was completely at his mercy.

* * *

><p>As they had been getting closer to Lothlorien, they had realized that a group of more than a hundred orcs were also on their way to the golden woods. Elleniel and Glorfindel were both strong warriors, but they knew fighting this army would have been folly. They had made a detour to avoid the orcs, and had accelerated their pace in hope that they could tell the Lothlorien wardens that they would soon be under attack. Unfortunately, their race had not been unnoticed, and they were now being pursued by the running mass.<p>

They pushed Asfaloth and Ithil to a faster gallop, in hope of reaching Lothlorien before they got overtaken. A volley of arrows flew from the border of the woods, killing some of the beasts that were running behind them. They finally entered the forest and stopped their horses as two Lorien warriors were aiming their arrows at them.

"We are friends, no foes!" screamed Elleniel, dismounting quickly and getting ready to climb a tree to help shoot the orcs that would soon reach the border. She completely ignored their summon to stop moving and jumped in a nearby tree. Luckily for her, one of the wardens had recognized Glorfindel.

"Lord Glorfindel! Welcome to our woods! We were not expecting you!"

"Thank you, Orophin. Let's take care of these beasts and we will greet each other properly later!"

Glorfindel jumped on the same tree that Elleniel had climbed, but he did not find her at its peak. He nonetheless started shooting arrows on the band of orcs that had now entered the woods. The orcs started to look up, trying to locate the elves that were killing them with their arrows, but they were well hidden.

At the top of the trees, the elves were quickly running out of arrows, and Elleniel heard whistles around her. The wardens were communicating about their next move, and she could not understand what they meant to do. She saw a blond warrior in a nearby tree, who smiled at her and gestured to drop to the ground and start sword fighting. She waited for the official signal from their captain, and jumped down when she saw the other elves around her do the same.

She killed two orcs in one swift movement, and turned around just in time to avoid being hit in the back. She hit the beast squarely in the chest, telling him at the same time how disappointed she was to see him fight with such disloyal tactics. The orc looked at her in dismay before falling dead to the ground. Elleniel laughed and attacked another beast that was getting closer.

They fought for long minutes, and the number of orcs still alive was quickly decreasing. Elleniel suddenly heard the horses whinny to her right. Understanding some orcs had found Asfaloth and Ithil, she started running in their direction, and rage overtook her when she saw three orcs torturing Ithil with their blades, while Asfaloth was trying to hit them with his hoofs.

She reached the first orc and beheaded it in a swift movement. She fought with the second one, a strong and vicious beast who was verbalizing the torture she would sustain once he disarmed her. She glanced at Ithil a few times during her fight, as she was still being attacked by the third orc.

"No!" she screamed when she saw the foul beast cut the ligaments of Ithil's back legs. Asfaloth hit the orc with his hind legs, and the beast flew in the air and ended its course head first on a tree. He stopped moving, dead from the blow.

Elleniel still fought the second orc with despair, tears in her eyes as she could hear Ithil's whines from pain.

"I will eat both of you after I have killed you," the orc said with cruelty.

"You will pay for this!" she screamed. She disarmed him with one strong blow, and jumping behind the stunned beast, she cut his own ligaments. He fell to the ground, and started crawling in the other direction. Elleniel pinned him to the ground with his own sword.

"You will leave when I say so!" she told him angrily.

She turned around and went to Ithil, who was lying on her side, her legs abundantly bleeding. She also had many sword injuries on her croup and chest. She obviously was in a lot of pain.

"Oh, Ithil," Elleniel cried, sitting beside her mare and taking her head on her lap. "Ithil, I am so sorry that I was not there to protect you!"

She knew Ithil would never recover from her leg injuries, that she could never walk again. She had no choice but to put her to sleep.

"I love you, Ithil!" Elleniel said, caressing her mare's forehead. "You have been such a valiant companion. I will miss you so much!"

Elleniel felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you want me to do it for you?" asked Glorfindel, who had joined her after the fight was over.

"No. It is my fault, I did not send her away before the fight with the orcs. She was too close and I did not protect her properly."

"You were trying to protect your grandparents' realms, my love."

"That is no excuse!"

Feeling her need for solitude, Glorfindel backed away and went a little further with the Lorien warriors who were now watching the scene. They saw Elleniel sing softly to her horse and caressing its neck. Taking a knife in her boot, she put an end to her mare's misery. She stayed beside her until all was over.

Elleniel watched Ithil's body, the red blood staining her white skin and hair. The mare had died peacefully, comforted by Elleniel who made her pain disappear during the last moment. For Ithil, it had been like falling asleep in her mistress' arms. Guilt was was overflowing in Elleniel's heart. She should have sent Ithil away, made sure she was out of harm's way before she started killing orcs. Ithil had been left without protection, and her death would be forever on Elleniel's conscience.

Elleniel walked slowly to the orc who had been watching the scene, still pinned to the ground by a sword in his shoulder.

"Time to pay up!" she said, and taking her own sword, she stabbed the beast many times, taking out her pain and frustration on the orc that was the cause of her grief. When she was done, her hands started glowing blue and the orc's body caught on fire. She then turned and burned the bodies of the other two orcs that had injured Ithil.

"Who is this witch-warrior?" asked one of the wardens to Glorfindel.

"Elleniel Elrondiel, an Istar, granddaughter of Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn," replied Glorfindel.

"How interesting!" said another, eying her up like most of the present warriors.

In Lothlorien, elves were used to strong magic. They would not be afraid of Elleniel like the Imladris and Valinor elves had been...

"It has been a long time since I had a dark-haired beauty from Imladris in my bed," commented another.

"She is also my wife," casually mentioned Glorfindel, destroying their hopes with this simple sentence.

The wardens were somewhat uncomfortable after Glorfindel's statement. He smiled at them reassuringly. He was not going to hold their comments against them. After all, Elleniel was quite a beauty!

"We will send word to the Lady," Orophin told Glorfindel. "Please follow us and you can rest on one of the flets until she gives you authorization to go to Caras Galadhon."

"Thank you. We will join you in a few moments."

After all the warriors had left the scene, Glorfindel went to Elleniel and took her in his arms.

"We need to bury her," she told him.

"There is little time before we will go to the city. It might be better to burn her body, my love."

"I will do it."

Glorfindel went to Asfaloth to comfort the stallion while they watched Ithil's body being consumed by the blue flames.

They climbed on one flet, where Elleniel fell asleep quickly.

_She dreamed of a fair lady, who was watching her with love and empathy._

"_Are you Lady Galadriel?" asked Elleniel. She thought the elleth had the delicate features of her mother Celebrian._

"_Yes, I am your grandmother! Mae govannen, Elleniel. It is a pleasure to finally meet you after all these years. The last time I saw you, your brothers and you were a few days old!"_

"_Will you grant us access to Caras Galadhon? I would appreciate obtaining an audience with you and Lord Celeborn to discuss my mission."_

"_Please do not be so formal, my child. Lothlorien will always be open to you. Your brothers and sister feel at home here."_

"_My brothers would feel at home anywhere in Middle Earth, even in Mordor!"_

_The Lady burst into laughter, delighted to see in her granddaughter the same sparkle than in the famous Imladris twins. Celeborn would love this spirited warrior-witch!_

"_Your grandfather is already on his way to the border. I felt your arrival hours ago, and he wanted to welcome you personally. Do not be worried,"Galadriel said, feeling Elleniel's nervousness, "he will love you very much. Sleep, my child, sleep. The grief will have faded in the morning. I will see you soon."_

When Elleniel opened her eyes the next morning, she saw a mysterious ellon sitting beside her. Only in the presence of Lord Tulkas and Lord Oromë had she felt so intimidated. This Lord was powerful, full of wisdom, and fortunately for Elleniel, he was watching her with a mix of tenderness and curiosity.

* * *

><p>AN: I hope you liked this chapter. A romantic pause before the events described in Tolkien's trilogy start...

I would love to hear from you - more than 450 visitors have read this story - but very few leave a review... Just press the _review_ button at the bottom of the page and give me a little comment. Thank you in advance!


	7. Chapter 7 The White Wizard

_Chapter 6 ended with:_

_When Elleniel opened her eyes the next morning, she saw a mysterious ellon sitting beside her. Only in the presence of Lord Tulkas and Lord Oromë had she felt so intimidated. This Lord was powerful, full of wisdom, and fortunately for Elleniel, he was watching her with a mix of tenderness and curiosity._

**Chapter 7 - The White Wizard**

Glorfindel was sitting beside his sleeping wife, gently caressing her hair to soothe her in her sleep. Elleniel was curled up against him, enveloped in her cloak to stay warm. She had cried for hours on Ithil's misfortune. The guilt she felt was overwhelming. Glorfindel knew her pain, having lost many stallions in battle, all from the same bloodline. Asfaloth was the latest descendant of this great lineage.

They were on a flet, waiting for the authorization of the Lord and Lady to go to Caras Galadhon. The wardens were back at their posts, watching with great care the border as orcs were striking more frequently at night. The sky was clear of any cloud, and the stars were shining brightly. It would have been a perfect night if his heart had not been frightened for everything he loved in Middle Earth. There was a chance it all could be destroyed by Sauron's forces. Imladris and its waterfalls, Lord Elrond and his family, his friends, his soldiers, his wife... _The elleth I have been waiting for for ages_, he thought, looking at Elleniel who was now smiling peacefully in her sleep. She could die painfully in the hands of the Nazguls, leaving him alone for eternity with the torturing images of her death...

"Your thoughts are dark, Glorfindel."

Glorfindel lifted his eyes, and realized they had been joined on the flet by Lord Celeborn himself. It had been a century that Glorfindel had not met the ruler of Lothlorien, but he recognized the familiar feeling of uneasiness that always filled his heart in his presence. Both Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel were powerful elves, worshiped by their kin and extremely intimidating in their wisdom. Glorfindel was one of the eldest elf of Middle Earth, and still felt discomfort in their presence. He could only imagine how the younger elves felt in front of them.

Glorfindel delicately removed Elleniel's hand from his thigh, careful not to wake her up as she desperately needed some sleep. He finally stood up, bowed to the Lord and greeted him properly.

"Mae govannen, my Lord," he whispered.

Lord Celeborn slowly walked to his granddaughter, and kneeing beside her, he watched her face intently. He recognized the raven black hair of Elrond, and some of the features of the twins, mixed with his daughter Celebrian's.

"She is beautiful," he whispered to himself. He lightly caressed her cheek, and a trace of quickly fading blue light was left where he had touched her.

"She inherited my magic," he marveled. "I also recognize some of Elrond's and Galadriel's, but it is mainly mine," he repeated with satisfaction.

He reluctantly left her side, and looked at what was scattered around them. Blades and bows, packs and water skins, no doubt two warriors were resting on this flet. He turned to Glorfindel, who was watching his wife with longing, and asked him to follow him to the ground so they could talk. Glorfindel did not want to leave Elleniel's side, and Celeborn read it in his thoughts.

"She will not wake, mellon. She is sleeping peacefully, I felt my wife's fëa in Elleniel's mind. Galadriel is protecting her sleep. Come," he commanded.

Glorfindel followed the ruler of Lothlorien who had jumped down the flet in one swift movement. The wardens had prepared a fire and some food for their Lord, and they both sat side by side to eat the food that had been prepared.

"Stop being so stiff, Glorfindel. We are family now. Although I must admit I am disappointed that you bound my granddaughter to you without a proper ceremony. You should have remembered that she is a princess of Imladris and Lothlorien!"

"Elleniel is not the type to appreciate these ceremonies and festivities. She leaves all that to her sister Arwen."

"Our dear Arwen! She is then the only one that inherited the sweet character of my daughter Celebrian. Tell me, how is Elleniel?"

"A female version of the twins, my Lord."

"Stop calling me Lord. I would greatly enjoy to have you call me Celeborn. After all, is there anyone in Middle Earth more deserving than you? You lost your first life to save Elrond's father. Without you, there would be no Imladris. But you are very modest about it, and seek solitude instead of glory. I always liked that in you. Now, tell me more about her."

"I assure you that she has exactly the same difficult character than her brothers. Worse if possible, because her powers just make her a tad more scary. Her removal to Valinor, alone without her family has deeply wounded her. I have had... access to her deepest thoughts since our binding. She believed herself abandoned, rejected by a family that thought her dangerous, undesirable. She is guarding herself, protecting her heart to ensure no one will ever break it again. Although she is friendly with them most of the times, she has yet to forgive to Lord Elrond and Erestor. She is overwhelmed by her brothers' possessiveness, and felt a great deal of relief when our bond actually cut the link with them."

"Under the circumstances, it is all in your honor that you have succeeded to create this link between the two of you!"

"She is my fëa-mate. It took me weeks to realize it, which I am not proud of. I should have been more attentive to her from the start, instead of only seeing the wall she had built around herself."

"Only an Eldar such as yourself could have done it, Glorfindel. Galadriel and I will be forever grateful that you convinced her to choose elven kind. I do not know how we would have borne another grandchild choosing mortality. Arwen will surely bind herself to Aragorn, should he defeat Sauron and take the crown of Gondor."

They both sat in companionable silence until Celeborn shared some more of his thoughts regarding his granddaughter.

"Galadriel and I have always known there was something suspicious with Elleniel's death. My wife has read Celebrian's thoughts on this matter, and could hardly contain her rage at what she saw. But it was too late to do anything, Elleniel had already been gone for years. We kept our knowledge to ourselves, waiting for Elrond to finally admit the truth. He never did. Not even when Celebrian was sent to Valinor after the orcs attacked her."

"What else could anyone have done? The Istari had plans for her, and the Valar was already training her."

"More than likely, if Elrond had seek our advice, I would have sailed with her, only to come back with her once her training was complete."

"Really? Who would have protected Lothlorien?"

"My wife's ring is protecting Lothlorien. Galadriel and I would have accepted our separation to ensure our kin was not sacrificed this way."

* * *

><p>Elleniel sat up, facing the elf that was seated near her on the flet. Instinctively, she knew who he was. She felt a connection to him. Not the same kind she shared with Glorfindel or the one she had shared with her brothers. No, this was a kin connection, even stronger than the one she felt towards her own father. There was also something familiar about his energy.<p>

"How are you, my child?"

"I am good, thank you. I was told you would be here this morning." She looked around her, and worried not to see Glorfindel with them.

"He is waiting for us down below. I asked him to give us a private moment."

He held up a hand in front of him, silently asking Elleniel to take it.

She watched his hand with intensity, knowing he was trying to make a connection with her, just by the touch of their hands. She looked at his face, trying to read the reason behind his openness to her. All she saw in his eyes was tenderness and curiosity. He was also analyzing her, noticing her reluctance in making this connection with him.

For the first time, she tried to read someone's mind. No one had ever trained her to do this, so she gave it her best shot. She felt her mind hit a wall, and her grandfather's smile increased.

"I can show you how to do it for real, if you would like. But my wife is really the best mind-reader in Middle Earth. Is there anything you want to know but are afraid to ask?" he said, his hand still up for her to take.

"Why?"

"Because we are kin. Very close kin. You and I share more than anyone within this family. Take my hand. You will see!"

Elleniel slowly put her hand in his, and he held hers tight. Their hands glowed slightly, and they felt warmth spread in their fingers. Elleniel tried to remove her hand, and Celeborn only held it tighter.

"Read me now, Elleniel. Read my feelings for you."

She opened her mind, and was overwhelmed with a flow of foreign masculine emotions. Anxiousness, desire to convince, awe, love, all intertwined with guilt and sorrow. Celeborn pulled her hand, bringing her closer to him. She slowly wrapped her arms around his waist, and put her forehead against his neck while he stroked her back.

"You are home now," he whispered. "Eru, you remind me so much of Galadriel when I first met her. She also was a confused witch, looking for a purpose... Do not worry, Elleniel, with Glorfindel, Galadriel and I, you have found the ones that will help you become the Lady you were meant to be. You do not have to remain an Istar. You can become whatever you want to be..."

Elleniel only hugged him closer.

"In the meantime, we all need to fight for our freedom. Galadriel and I will be giving you counsel."

* * *

><p>It had been two months that Elleniel and Glorfindel were in Lothlorien. She was spending most of her days training with Glorfindel, and her evenings with her grandparents, learning how to control this raw power she felt inside her. Glorfindel had been right – the Lothlorien elves were not scared by witches such as Galadriel and Elleniel. The warriors were always pleased to see the couple on the training grounds during the day, and the maids were always very obliging.<p>

One morning, Galadriel announced to Elleniel and Glorfindel that the Fellowship had crossed the Lorien borders the day before. Elleniel was very excited to see Mithrandir again. But she wondered why the Fellowship was in Lothlorien, as their original plan had been to go to Mordor by Rohan and Gondor.

After dusk, the Fellowship crossed the gates of Caras Galadhon, and the most important elves of Lothlorien gathered in the council room to welcome them in their city. The members of the Fellowship entered the room one by one, led by Haldir, Marchwarden of Lothlorien. They seemed exhausted, physically and mentally, but the sight of the Lord and Lady, clad in white and their skin glowing under the moonlight, brought a smile to their faces.

"Here there are eight," said Lord Celeborn, after greeting them. "Nine were to set out, so said Elrond's message."

"They were nine," whispered Elleniel so only the Lord and Lady could hear her. "Mithrandir is missing."

She was standing behind their thrones, making a contrast with her dark blue dress and black hair. She looked at Glorfindel, who was standing beside Haldir. She communicated her worry for the wizard, but she felt he was as intrigued as she was about his disappearance.

"Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land," said Lady Galadriel. "Tell us where he is, for we much desire to speak to him. A grey mist is about him, and the ways of his feet and mind are hidden from me."

"Alas," replied Aragorn, "he fell into shadow. He remained in Moria and did not escape."

All the elves in the room cried in surprise and grief. Elleniel gripped her grandfather's throne to remain standing. Her legs were hardly supporting her weight.

"These are evil tidings," said Lord Celeborn, putting a comforting hand on Elleniel's behind him. "The most evil that have been spoken in long full years of grievous deeds. Tell us now the full tale."

And Aragorn described the wizard's fight against the balrog in Moria. At the mention of the ancient devil, Elleniel felt the uneasiness in Glorfindel's heart. He had died fighting a balrog during the fall of Gondolin, and his friend Ecthelion had perished in the King's Fountain while fighting with Gothmog, Lord of the balrogs. Aragorn's tale was bringing dark memories to the surface.

Once Aragorn's tale was done, Haldir led the fellowship to a pavilion where they would remain for the duration of their stay. Only the Lord and Lady, Glorfindel and Elleniel remained in the council room.

"I cannot believe than Mithrandir has perished. Would I not feel it if he were dead?" Elleniel asked.

"Do you feel he is alive?" inquired Glorfindel.

"Not exactly. I do not feel anything. No life nor death."

"I feel the same," confirmed Galadriel. "This is very strange indeed."

"We have to discuss what we will do about Saruman. We were counting on Mithrandir to fight Saruman, but it seems we will have to do it ourselves."

"Saruman will soon unleash his hordes on Rohan," Celeborn mentioned. "Galadriel has seen it in her mirror. Once Isengard is empty but for him, we will have to strike."

And they started to design a plan to remove Saruman from the head of the Istari order.

* * *

><p><em>Mithrandir was fighting with the balrog, climbing endless stairs while sword fighting with the devil. They eventually reach a tower where they fought viciously for days. Everything was destroyed at the top of the mountain. The wizard was eventually victorious, but was grievously injured.<em>

_Elleniel saw him as he lay on the snow, his blood tainting crimson the whiteness that surrounded him. He was in agony, and she could not do anything to help him._

"_Mithrandir," she screamed, "do not go! Do not go to the Halls of Mandos! I will try to find you!"_

_He looked at her with pity._

"_I am dying, my child," he said, panting. "You cannot help me now." He closed his eyes and drew his last breath._

"_No!" she yelled, crying and trashing._

"I cannot wake her up. She whimpers and screams about Mithrandir," explained Glorfindel. He had gone to get his wife's grandparents, full of fear as Elleniel was in a trance he could not get her out of.

"_Mithrandir," she cried, holding his body against her chest. The wizard's body was getting cold, and Elleniel put her cloak around him, oblivious to the storm raging at the top of the mountain. She eventually went to look at the body of the balrog, and in her rage, she threw it down the mountain._

"I have never seen such a thing. Let me try to read her thoughts," Galadriel said, putting her hand on Elleniel's forehead.

"_Elleniel," said a feeble voice behind her. She turned around, and saw that Mithrandir was alive. But he had changed while she was taking care of the balrog's body. His gray beard and hair were now of the purest white._

"_Mithrandir?"She held him against her again. He was alive, but still injured. She picked him up, and went to the stairs, only to find out that they had been completely destroyed._

"_I am stuck here," he told her. "Prisoner of the mountain. I need your help. Come and get me, Elleniel. I am too weak to leave by myself."_

"_I will bring you to Lothlorien, Mithrandir. I will find a way. Even if it means that I climb this mountain by myself."_

"_Hurry, Blue Istar. Go now! Go!"he told her abruptly._

Elleniel opened her mouth to protest when she realized she was in her bed, Galadriel bent over her form, while Glorfindel was pacing in the room. When he realized she was awake, he ran to her bedside and took her face in his hands.

"Are you well? What happened to you, my love?"

"I saw Mithrandir," she said with a croaked voice. She realized that all her screaming and crying had taken place outside of her dreams.

"Where were you both?" asked Galadriel.

"You saw my dream?"

"I do not believe it was a dream. He somehow has shown you what happened to him and has called you to his aid."

"He was fighting the balrog on the peak of a mountain of Moria. There were these stairs going from the ground to the top of the mountain, and it led to a tower."

"Durin's Tower," said Celeborn. "They fought at the top of Mount Silvertine."

"Mithrandir killed the balrog, but he died... he died in my arms. And then," Elleniel continued though ragged breath, "he came back, but changed. I think he has become a White Istar."

"How is that even possible? There can only be one White Istar!" said Glorfindel.

"I believe the Valar might have decided that Saruman was no longer worthy of being the White Istar and of leading the Order," suspected Galadriel.

"We need to go get him, he needs our help!" Elleniel said to Glorfindel, jumping out of the bed to get dressed.

"And how will you go on top of Silvertine?" asked Celeborn, practical. "The stairs are destroyed. If Mithrandir cannot come down, you cannot go up."

"He is wounded. He cannot do the journey. I have to find a way, even if there are no stairs!"

"I believe I have a suggestion. We should ask for the help of Gwaihir. He already helped Mithrandir to escape from Orthanc a few months ago."

"The Lord of Eagles? You know how to get a hold of him?"

"Yes. I will communicate with him immediately. I will let you know as soon as I have some news. You can go back to bed, I will see you in the morning," Galadriel finished, dragging her husband with her.

"Come back to bed, Lirimaer," Glorfindel requested, getting back under the sheets himself.

"I am afraid I will not be able to sleep. I cannot stop thinking of Mithrandir, wounded and suffering in the snow at the top of Silvertine!"

"Then we can do something else," he suggested.

"I am afraid I cannot do that either, Glorfindel. Can you believe that the Fellowship left Lothlorien two days ago, and that if they had waited, they would have continued their journey with their guide?"

"You do not know in what state we will find Mithrandir, and how long his recovery will take. It is for the best that the Fellowship continued its quest. Mithrandir will join them if this is still his plan. Now, just come in my arms, and we will talk of how we will help Mithrandir."

Elleniel went back in bed, and Glorfindel pulled her to his chest, encircling her into a strong embrace, and contrary to her expectations, she fell asleep quickly. Her Eldar husband smiled to himself, having successfully used an old sleeping spell to send his wife to oblivion. He could not believe she had not seen it coming.

* * *

><p>"Gwaihir will meet us at the Western border," Celeborn announced when Elleniel and Glorfindel arrived at breakfast.<p>

"When?"

"Tonight. We have a few hours left before we go to the border. I have given orders for packs to be prepared. Elleniel, be ready right after the mid-day meal."

"Elleniel?" asked Glorfindel, unsure of what Lord Celeborn had meant by this.

"Of course, Elleniel will go to Silvertine with me!" answered Celeborn. "She will be a great help to locate Mithrandir and give him some care before we fly back here."

"Do you mean that I am not to be part of this journey?"

Galadriel gave him a warm smile. "Only two eagles will be going on this rescue mission. You and I will be left behind, Glorfindel."

"It is only for a few days, my love," Elleniel told her husband.

Glorfindel did not smile back to either ellith. He was supposed to protect his wife, and how could he do it if she went on this mission without him? Furthermore, they were newly bound, and separation after such a short binding period was extremely difficult for elves.

Elleniel and Celeborn left the room to go discuss the last minute arrangements, and Galadriel turned to Glorfindel again.

"My husband can protect Elleniel much better than you could, Glorfindel. You must be aware of that."

"Yes, I am. But I am not comfortable being separated from her, and knowing she will face danger without me."

"You have bound yourself to a witch-warrior, mellon. What did you expect? That she will stay at your home and do needlework all day long?"

"No. But I was supposed to be there each time she attacked a Nazgul."

"Will you feel better if I tell you they will not encounter any Nazgul, nor any orcs, and that they will be back in two days from now with Mithrandir?"

"Yes, my Lady. But it will be the longest two days of my second life."

"Maybe you can ask Haldir to spend these days at the Western border? It would keep yourself busy."

* * *

><p>At dusk, Glorfindel watched Elleniel climb on the back of a great eagle while Lord Celeborn was doing the same on Gwaihir. Elleniel waved him goodbye, and the eagles flew in the direction of the sinking sun. He watched the horizon for as long as he could see the birds high in the sky.<p>

"Come with me, mellon," said Haldir behind him. "Let's get ready for the night watch. Stop worrying, they will be back in a few days."

* * *

><p>They had flown the entire night, and Elleniel had miraculously slept most of it. It was now morning, and Elleniel laughed in delight as the wind was blowing in her hair. She could see Celeborn nearby, and he too seemed to be having the experience of a lifetime. She looked down and found that the trees looked very small down below, and the mountains were growing nearer.<p>

"I wonder if I could create a flying spell!" she screamed to her grandfather. She could have sworn the eagle beneath her had snorted.

"If wizards could fly, Mithrandir would have come down the mountain by himself!" yelled Celeborn in reply.

Dark clouds started to cover the sky, and when they finally reached Silvertine a few hours later, it was pouring cold rain on them. As the eagles flew higher and higher to reach the mountain peak, the rain turned into snow. They circled around the ruins of the tower, and eventually saw the body of the Istar, still unconscious and lying in bloodied snow.

"Mithrandir!" screamed Elleniel while the eagles were slowly landing beside him. She jumped down the eagle and ran towards him. She picked up his upper body in her arms, but Mithrandir did not react. Celeborn, who had joined her shortly after, touched his forehead, trying to call the wizard back from oblivion.

Elleniel assessed that he had severe cuts to his limbs and torso, many burns and broken bones.

"We cannot care for him here, Celeborn. He is too injured. We need to bring him back to Lothlorien where we can all take care of him properly."

"I agree. But the journey will be difficult for him."

"He has been unconscious for many days now, let us hope he will stay this way for another day."

"You should take him with you. You are lighter than I, an eagle will support both of you more easily."

They managed to drag Mithrandir on Gwaihir, attaching him with ropes to ensure his body would not slip during the journey. The eagle did not quite like that, but he realized it probably was the only solution to bring back his friend Mithrandir to Lothlorien. When Celeborn jumped on the second eagle and Elleniel was about to do the same, she saw a dark shape half-buried in the snow. The Balrog's body.

"I thought I had thrown it down the mountain," she mumbled. But then, she had been dreaming, had she not? Fascinated, she walked closer to the remains of the ancient devil. Now that it was no longer in flames, the Balrog looked like a huge crossbreed of a bat, goat and gorilla. The smell of putrefaction was strong, and Elleniel started feeling nauseous.

"These beasts are repulsive," commented Celeborn who had joined her. "The stench is worse than burning orcs."

"I want to bring back a small piece of it." Holding her breath, she got closer to the Balrog and studied his horns and claws.

"What piece? And what for?"

"A trophy."

"You did not kill this Balrog. The trophies are for your own personal kills, like you did with the Nazgul swords."

"It is not for me."

"Mithrandir would not want a piece of Balrog as a trophy!"

"It is for Glorfindel. Even if he did not kill this particular Balrog, he would appreciate a little souvenir..." Elleniel took her sword, and in one strong movement, cut one of the Balrog's horns. She pulled it away, realizing it was heavier than she had expected. She looked at her grandfather, wondering if he would accept to carry Glorfindel's token on his eagle. She smiled to her grandfather, batting her eyelashes.

"Do not try to manipulate me, child, it will not work! You really want to bring him this horn back as a gift?" Celeborn asked with sarcasm. "This is not what I would bring back to my mate after my absence."

Elleniel snorted. "Your mate is not a warrior. Will you help me or not? If I carry the horn and Mithrandir, and that I am in trouble during the flight, who knows, I might hesitate between dropping the horn or Mithrandir..."

"Nice try, young one. Give me this thing, and take care of your superior. He is the White Istar now, don't you dare drop him to the ground!"

* * *

><p>Mithrandir opened his eyes slowly. All muscles and bones in his body were aching. He was cold, and could feel the wind blowing in his ears. He realized he was in Elleniel's arms, flying on the back of an eagle. He saw Elleniel put her hand on his forehead while she was mumbling a spell. He fell asleep.<p>

The next time he opened his eyes, he was in a bed, and Lord Celeborn, Lady Galadriel and Elleniel were taking care of him. This time, Galadriel cast the sleeping spell.

* * *

><p>Glorfindel reached the royal talan, knowing Elleniel and Celeborn had arrived earlier in the day. He was told by a maid that his wife was still with her grandparents, taking care of Mithrandir's injuries. He decided to go to their room, to bathe after his return from the border. As he entered the room, he stopped dead in his tracks. There was a black curved horn on their bed. A Balrog horn. He took it reverently, as if it was made of porcelain. It belonged to a colossal devil, one of which he had killed millennia ago. Having died after the fight, he had never had the time to realize he had been victorious. And during his second life, he had tried to avoid thinking of the Balrog attack, as it always made him feel anxious. His death had been both horrifying and painful. But having this horn in his hands? It felt wonderful.<p>

"I killed it!" he screamed, holding the horn above his head.

"It feels great, right? Having a proof of your victory?" asked Elleniel who had been watching him for some time.

"I killed a Balrog."

"I know," she said with a smile. "I share my bed with a mighty Balrog slayer."

"Ecthelion killed three."

"Then maybe it is with him I should share my bed with. Hopefully, he was reborn in Valinor," she said with a faked dreamy voice.

The Balrog horn was thrown in a corner, and Elleniel was shoved on the bed by her husband.

"Unfortunately, you will never share a bed with anyone else than me."

"Even if I feel like it?" she teased.

"I will make sure you will never feel like it."

* * *

><p>"It is too bad the Fellowship left without me."<p>

"Maybe if you had called me earlier?" asked Elleniel.

"I called you as soon as I came around."

"I believe you were meant to separate," said Galadriel. "There has to be some reason behind it. Worry not, Aragorn will be a good leader to them."

"I need to join them again. Aragorn might be a good leader, but he does not know half of what I know. Elleniel, I will need your help."

"Anything you want, oh Great White Istar!"

"Do not tell anyone I am now the White Istar."

"May I respectfully outline that I have no one with whom I could share this wonderful news?" she asked, still teasing him.

"I want you to leave Lothlorien. You will see plenty of people, and I do not want the word to spread."

"Why?"

"I do not believe Saruman realizes he is no longer Head of our order. I want you to go to him."

"What for? You know I hate him."

"Once he unleashes his orcs and uruk-hais on Rohan as I think he will, I want you to go Isengard and make him your prisoner. Guard him until I come back to Orthanc."

"Where will you be?"

"In Rohan. Preparing them for the war."

"And how is she supposed to guard Saruman?" asked Glorfindel.

"She killed three Nazguls, she can handle a wizard," replied Mithrandir with certainty.

"A White Wizard?" specified Celeborn.

"He no longer is a White Wizard. She is as powerful as he is."

"I will do it," Elleniel said with a somewhat cruel smile. "I would appreciate paying Saruman a little visit."

* * *

><p>AN: In the next chapters, Elleniel will start playing an important role in the War of the Ring... I hope you enjoy reading this story. Please review!


	8. Chapter 8 Isengard

_Chapter 7 ended with:_

"_And how is she supposed to guard Saruman?" asked Glorfindel._

"_She killed three Nazguls, she can handle a wizard," replied Mithrandir with certainty._

"_A White Wizard?" specified Celeborn._

"_He no longer is a White Wizard. She is as powerful as he is."_

"_I will do it," Elleniel said with a somewhat cruel smile. "I would appreciate paying Saruman a little visit."_

_**Warning: graphic sex in chapter 8**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8 - Isenguard<strong>

"Oh Gods! This is beyond anything I imagined!" Elleniel was watching with fear the army that was leaving Isengard. "Rohan cannot fight this evil, Glorfindel. There are too many Uruk-hai!"

"It will be the end of Rohan as we know it. Mithrandir cannot help, it is folly to think otherwise."

They kept watching the long line of beasts, armed with spears and swords, metal helmets covering their ugly faces.

"There is a least 8,000 Uruk-hai," she estimated.

"Nay, I believe their number is closer to 10,000."

"What kind of dark magic did Saruman use to create such an army in so little time?"

"He is stronger than Mithrandir believes. I do not like the idea that you have to keep Saruman under your control until Mithrandir comes back from the battle. What if he does not come back?"

"Then we might have to eliminate Saruman," she said, throwing him a meaningful look. Would he dare let her do such a thing?

"I am reluctant to kill an Istar, Elleniel. Could we not keep him prisoner?"

"We can do that..." she started, and he gave her a smile, which he lost when she completed her sentence. "If you can let me know how we can keep an Istar prisoner for many years without endangering the lives of his guards. You can give it some thought while you watch me guard him for just a few days..."

Once the last Uruk-hai had left Isengard, they realized all the damage the land had sustained. Gone were the centuries old trees, gone were the grass and colorful flowers. The once peaceful property of Saruman was now covered in earth and rocks, with smoke coming out of large crevasses.

Elleniel wiped the tears that were falling on her face. For an elf, the destruction of this ancient landscape was nothing short of heartbreaking. Glorfindel was in no better mood, fury blazing deep in his soul.

"He will not deserve our pity," he said, all thoughts of sparing the Istar's life gone.

They left their horses in the forest, unsure of the welcome they would be getting. Glorfindel was riding his loyal Asfaloth, but Elleniel was still adapting to her new mare, which was as capricious as Ithil had been docile. She was a completely black horse but for the bottom of her legs, which were white. Elleniel had named her Morarrna, - Black Storm -, but had been calling her Stockings in front of her grandfather Celeborn.

"I cannot believe you gave your mare such an awful name," he had told her. "It is the last time I give you a present if you cannot show minimum respect for such a treasure." Galadriel had known Elleniel was only teasing her mate, but she participated in the prank by telling him she thought it was a charming name. Celeborn had left the stables, looking for an ellon with whom he could share his outrage.

"Do you think Morarrna will remain in the forest? Obedience is not her strongest virtue."

"Asfaloth will keep her in line, worry not. Now, I believe Saruman kept more orcs than we thought while his army is away. We will need you to perform some magic, or we will not even reach Orthanc."

"I could either keep them away from us with some sort of shield, or control their minds."

"You can do that?"

"Their brains are small and their thoughts limited. I can easily control them. I cannot use this power on elves, before you ask. It would require a lot more training."

"That would have been too good to be true."

"Be careful what you wish for, my love. You could pretty well be my first elven victim."

"You would not dare!"

"So, should I control their minds or restrain their access to us?"

"I think I would like to see your mind control trick."

They directed their steps closer to the Ring of Isengard, the fortifications encircling Saruman's domain. Saruman's vigilance was at its lowest level, believing no one would dare attack his realm while he had become so powerful, and his orcs had left the gates wide open for the return of the army. Elleniel and Glorfindel simply entered, cautiously approaching the devastated area.

"Mordor must look like this," Elleniel guessed. "The place reeks evil and despair."

They made it to one of the fissures, and they peeked below. Way down, orcs were at work, forging swords and helmets for the army. The fires were blazing, burnings huge trees that had been rooted out all over the domain and even in the forest nearby.

"Hey, you! What are you doing, scum? Get back to work!" a croaked voice called behind them. Glorfindel straightened first, surprising the orc with its height, fair hair and pointy ears.

"Elves!" he murmured, frozen on the spot. He could not believe his eyes. His master had told him no one would dare come near Isengard, now that it was a known fact that Saruman had gained much power in the past months. The second elf moved aside and the orc could see it was a tall, black-haired she-elf. He smiled with cruelty. It had been a while since the last time they had had a female to play with.

"You will bring us to your master," the she-elf told him. He was about to attack them when a thought crossed him mind. No one would dare enter the wall if they had not been invited. Somehow, this made sense to him. But... wouldn't his master have told him in advance if he had invited guests?

"Saruman the White is not telling everything to his loyal servants," the she-elf continued, her piercing eyes watching him intently. "He is expecting us, and will not be pleased if you delay us. Maybe you can let us go and we will find him. We know the way, we have been here before. We would not want to delay your own duties."

The orc felt an irrepressible desire to let them pass. The elves both looked at him with reverence. They recognized how important the orcs had been to the rise of Saruman's power. Not like these Uruk-hai, who were only good to fight. Orcs had brains, at least!

"Alright. But please give word to Master about how obedient I have been."

"Most certainly!" the male elf said. "What is your name, my friend?"

"Brog."

"Brog, I will make sure to mention your name to Saruman."

Brog wore a happy expression, as far as orcs could express joy. Elleniel worked hard to keep a straight face. They both were on the verge of bursting into laughter.

"You can go, now. Please stop wasting your time on our account."

The dim-witted orc turned around and went down the ladder that went straight down the crevasse. As soon as he was out of earshot, the mates started laughing.

"I cannot believe this! You are such a liar!" Elleniel told her husband. "You even called him your friend! That was pushing it!"

"I could not resist testing the extent of his idiocy."

"We better move, because I feel that if he talks about us to his friends down below, we will have a hundred orcs after us within minutes."

"Let's move, then." They both started running to the bottom of the tower, to the black wooden doors of Orthanc. The doors were unlocked, and they entered silently, wondering if Saruman was overconfident or if this was a trap he had set for them.

"Have you ever come here before?" she whispered. "I have no idea where to go from here."

"Saruman's study is on the third floor. His private rooms are on the fifth. He usually keeps to these two places."

"How do you know?"

"I have been here before, many times, when Saruman was still on the right side, and receiving guests. Elrond used to come here at least once every decade."

They climbed the stairs silently, seeing and hearing no one until they were halfway between the second and third floor.

"Gandalf the White! He is usurping my title! No one but me is powerful enough to be the White Istar. Rohan will fall tonight, Grima, and Gandalf with it. Will you be missing King Theoden?"

"Who is Grima?" mutely asked Glorfindel, lifting his hands in question.

"Pathetic enchanter," Elleniel whispered, disdain clear on her features. "Mithrandir warned me against him. They call him Wormtongue."

"Dangerous?"

"He wishes he was!"

During that exchange, Grima had expressed the hope that no one would survive the battle.

"Not even the king's beautiful niece?" inquired Saruman. "I thought you wanted her for yourself."

"She was not nice with me," Grima replied with a plaintive voice.

Elleniel simulated vomiting, and it took Glorfindel all his control not to laugh. The more time he spent with his wife, the more he realized she was as mischievous as her brothers – if not worse. They too, could not remain serious under dramatic circumstances.

He gestured towards the door, and they both got closer. Elleniel peaked inside, and saw Saruman sitting on a massive wooden chair, a man standing in a servile position in front of him. Saruman's eyes were shining with a dangerous light, and although she had never liked him, she had to admit, without any bias, that he now looked truly evil. Gone was any pretense of friendliness on his features. The man facing him was more pitiable than evil, with his frightened gaze looking around as if expecting to be attacked at any moment.

Elleniel slowly pushed the door open, and Saruman looked at it, expecting an orc to enter without his permission and getting ready to punish him for this action. Instead of an orcish voice, he heard the clear voice of a female elf.

"Mae govannen, Saruman," Elleniel said as she entered the room slowly, giving the wizard enough time to identify her. He jumped to his feet, effectively pushing aside Wormtongue, who almost fell on his knees. The Rohan advisor went to hide behind Saruman's chair like the coward he was.

"Elleniel Elrondiel the Blue! How nice to see you after all this time!" Saruman said with barely concealed abhorrence.

"The pleasure is all mine," she replied with honesty.

Saruman was confused. Why would the elleth be happy to meet him? Would it be possible that she had come to join him? Turning Elrond's daughter against her father and grandparents would be such sweet revenge. He needed to assess why and how she had come to Isengard.

"How did you enter my property?" he asked, wondering how come his orcs had not caught her when she had trespassed.

"Well, the gates were opened, so... I walked in," she replied casually.

"No one stopped you?"

"Actually, yes! An orc named Brog allowed me to come to you, but he did not show me the way, which was not very nice of him. I would have appreciated being introduced properly in your study. The effect would have been... fabulous."

Saruman started laughing, while Grima was watching her with weary eyes. How could this elleth defy his master in such a blatant way? If he had dared do the same, his punishment would have been harsh and painful.

"You are as impudent as your brothers. Coming here, alone, to confront me. Or did you wish to join me, after discovering that power is now on my side?"

"Actually... I am not here alone. I brought someone special with me."

Saruman turned his head to the door as Glorfindel entered the study.

"Greetings, Lord Glorfindel. I see you are still following the famous Nazgul Slayer like a little dog!"

Glorfindel did not even flinch under the insult. He smiled pleasantly to Saruman, as if he had been welcomed warmly.

"Some people think it normal for bonded mates to travel together. Is that not your opinion?"

Saruman looked at both elves, taken aback by this declaration. His spies had not told him about this binding. They would pay dearly their lack of effectiveness. Elleniel could have been turned against her family, but the mate of the reborn Balrog Slayer would never join Sauron.

"What are both of you doing here? Were you sent by Elrond to convince me to cease my actions?"

"No, we are not sent by my father. Mithrandir the White asked me to pay you a visit," she replied, insisting on the word _white_.

"Gandalf? I am sorry to tell you that Gandalf _the Grey _will die for good tonight. He will be killed by my fierce Uruk-hai army. They have orders to cut his body to pieces, to ensure he will not come back again."

"He will not perish," Elleniel stated calmly. "Good will prevail. You will not wipe Rohan tonight."

"I will crush Rohan," Saruman yelled, anger consuming him, "and I will crush you, child-Istar!"

He pointed his staff in her direction, and she jumped aside to avoid being hit by the spell. With one movement of her hand, she sent Grima flying at the other end of the room, where Glorfindel applied the point of his sword against his neck, warning him not to interfere. He soon realized the man would rather flee than participate in the fight.

Glorfindel watched as spells were flying all over the study, hitting furniture and books all around them. Saruman got hit three times before he knocked Elleniel hard enough to send her body at the other end of the room. She took a few seconds to clear her head, and taking advantage of Glorfindel's worry, Grima escaped and went to hide underneath Saruman's chair. Glorfindel pulled Wormtongue in a corner, trying to protect the scared man from the wizards, barely avoiding being hit by a spell in the process.

Elleniel changed her tactic and decided to fight dirty. She grabbed a small footstool and threw it directly on Saruman's chest. The old Istar bent in two, trying to catch his breath. Elleniel jumped behind him and threw her arm around his neck, trying to choke him by squeezing his throat.

Saruman struggled, trying to hit her with his staff. Realizing she would not be able to control him unless she took his staff, she climbed on his back and they both fell on the floor. She hit his wrist as hard as she could with her first, and when his hand opened, she grabbed his staff and threw it to Glorfindel. Her mate caught it by habit, but when he realized what he was holding, he almost threw it away from his hands.

"Don't!" His wife screamed as she still fought with the old wizard. Holding the staff as if it was burning, Glorfindel watched as his wife was grabbing the footstool nearby and hit the back of Saruman's head, sending the wizard to oblivion.

Elleniel looked at the immobile body under her. Saruman was face down, and she could not tell if he was truly unconscious or simply faking it. Grabbing his white hair hard, she lifted his head up to watch his face and saw his half-mad eyes watching her.

"Goodnight!" she told him, before slamming his forehead on the floor. Standing up, she gave him a hard kick in the ribs, but he had no reaction this time.

She looked at Glorfindel, and gave him a small smile. "You can give me his staff, I will keep it myself!" Glorfindel threw it in her direction, and she caught it with one hand.

"You should break it," he said.

"I cannot. Only the White Istar can break a wizard's staff."

"What do we do with this one?" he asked, pointing at Grima.

"Tie him up. We might need to be two to take care of Saruman when he wakes. We cannot have Wormtongue in our way."

Glorfindel nodded, and sat the man on the floor, attaching his hands and feet together. He started whining that the rope was too tight. Glorfindel loosened it a bit.

"You are too good, Glorfindel. The man does not deserve your pity," Elleniel commented while she was pulling the wizard's body on his chair, and attached him with hithlain, adding a constricting spell for good measure. She smiled, remembering the last time she had used this spell. She had left Glorfindel tied to a tree for one full night.

She started walking around the room, putting the furniture back in place when she could. She saw on a desk a black velvet cloth covering something round. Curious, she removed the cloth and discovered a black crystal sphere.

Glorfindel turned around when he stopped hearing her moving around, and saw Elleniel observe intently a black sphere and lift her hand to touch it. He ran to her and grabbed her hand just in time.

"I would not touch it if I were you."

"I had no idea there were palantirs left in Middle Earth!"

"Ages ago, there had been a palantir here in Orthanc. We thought it lost. It must have been somewhere in the tower all this time. Saruman found it but forgot to mention it. No doubt Elrond or Galadriel would have taken it."

"I am wondering who Saruman is communicating with. It would be good to know," she said, extending her hand again.

"Let Gandalf do it. He only asked you to guard Saruman until he came back."

"Party pooper! Did you ever break a rule, Glorfindel?" she teased.

Crashing noises and screams were suddenly heard outside. Glorfindel ran to the stairs, climbing to the 5th floor where there was a balcony, while Elleniel checked that Saruman had not regained consciousness and caused the chaos outside. The wizard was still sleeping, so Elleniel thought it safe to join Glorfindel in Saruman's private quarters. When she entered the room, she saw her husband was watching outside, frozen on the spot.

"What is going on?" she asked, joining him on the balcony. The sight was inconceivable. Tens of Ents were destroying the walls of Isengard and fighting with the orcs that were pouring out of the crevasses. Other Ents were attempting to destroy the dam that had been stopping the river from flowing into the valley.

"The Ents have awakened," Glorfindel observed. "I never thought they would declare war to Saruman! Look there! This is Treebeard, one of the oldest beings of Middle Earth."

Elleniel looked at the tree-like beings that were kicking and smashing orcs all over the courtyard of Isengard. She then noticed two little beings that were clinging to the old Ent.

"Look! This is Merry and Pippin! What are they doing here? Merry! Pippin!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, making her husband wince. Fortunately, she did not have to scream for long, as the hobbits quickly spotted her on the balcony.

To her left, another crashing noise was heard as the Ents had successfully destroyed a portion of the dam. Within seconds, the pressure of the river had swept away the remaining structure, and the river flowed in the valley in torrents.

"Oh no! Merry! Pippin!" she screamed again, worried that her little friends would drown. But Treebeard and the other Ents stabilized their feet on the ground, and none of them sustained any damage from the water. The same could not be said about the orcs, who all drowned while their underground work areas were flooded.

"I have to go back. Wormtongue could try to escape, even if his hands and feet are tied."

"I will join you later. I will go speak with Treebeard and the hobbits," Glorfindel decided. "There seems to be much to do in the courtyard. Will you be fine with our two prisoners?"

"Of course, my love. Do not worry about me."

When Elleniel walked back in Saruman's study, the former White Istar was awake, and Grima had moved around on his knees, getting closer to Saruman's chair.

"Grima! Grima!" she chided. "You know not where your interest lies. Saruman cannot help you anymore."

"I will kill you painfully as soon as I am free, Elrondiel," Saruman spit with hatred.

"But... you are not so strong without your staff, Saruman. Maybe you should have learnt to use magic with your hands, like I did." She carelessly played with his staff, twirling it around her like a child. She knew she ought not to tease him in such a way, but she could not resist after the pain he had caused her in her childhood.

"Only witches like your grandmother and you lower themselves to that level."

"I guess it is a question of point of view. Lord Oromë did not seem to think I was humbling myself when I refused to use a staff in my early days in Valinor. So, what should we do until Mithrandir arrives?" she asked, sitting herself comfortably in another chair. "Charades? Share stories of our childhoods?" She looked at them inquiringly, but they ignored her. "As you wish! We will just stare at each other all night."

* * *

><p>At dawn, Grima was sleeping on the floor while Saruman and Elleniel were still staring at each other. It had been a battle of will, and so far, there had been no winner. Elleniel had been wondering what Glorfindel and the hobbits had been doing all night. Would it have been too much to let her know what was going on outside? She would have tested her link with her mate, but she needed all her concentration to avoid Saruman reading her mind. It was best for him to be unaware of the events, it was driving him crazy. Not knowing what had happened in his courtyard and with his orcs was adding extra torture to the pain of his limbs being tied too tight after his first struggles.<p>

Saruman could not believe what was happening to him. Being tied to his chair and humiliated in front of Wormtongue by the Blue Istar was more than he could take. And she was guarding him for Gandalf! Gandalf the Grey! What was going on in Middle Earth for a White Istar to be treated as such by inferior wizards? He knew the magic Elleniel had used on the rope. And he knew how to use magic without his staff, despite what he had told her. He had been waiting for her to get tired and fall into reverie, but he had underestimated her strength. He was planning to free himself and kill her. And then, kill her mate. Next one in line was Gandalf, if he had survived the battle at Helm's Deep. He prepared himself to strike.

With one strong movement of his arms, he loosened the rope and freed himself. As he had expected, Elleniel was caught off guard. It gave him a few precious seconds to run to get his staff, which was lying on the floor near her chair. She unfroze before he could reach it and slammed into his body, sending him flying a bit further. She jumped on his body and put a hand on his forehead. The last thing he saw was her worried face above him.

Elleniel was keeping him unconscious with a simple sleeping spell, but on such a strong mind, she needed to mumble the spell continuously and keep her hand on his forehead. It would drain her pretty quickly, and she did not know how long she could maintain the spell.

Hours later, her elven ears caught the sound of naked feet in the stairs. One of the hobbits was coming up.

"Lady Elleniel?" a soft voice called from the door.

"Hello, Merry," she replied, turning her face to the hobbit. "How have you been doing?"

"Pippin and I have had the most wonderful time with the Treebeard. He is in charge now, that is, until Gandalf arrives!"

"Do you have any news from the battle?"

"The Ents are saying that we won the battle at Helm's Deep! The entire army of Uruk-hai was destroyed, wiped off the map!"

Grima moaned in despair.

"What is wrong, Wormtongue? Chose the wrong side?" she asked. "Afraid to meet your king again?"

Under her hand, Saruman started waking up. She gathered her concentration again, and put him back to sleep. When she was confident that he was in deep sleep, she turned to Merry again.

"Lady Elleniel, we found Saruman's storage room, and Pippin and I have been feasting all night! Lord Glorfindel suggested that we bring you some food," Merry said.

"That would be really nice, Merry. But I cannot leave right now. As you can see, I have a wizard to guard. Will you please tell Glorfindel that I am weary and would like to see him?"

"Yes, my Lady. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Grima? Are you hungry?" she asked, her pity for the man rising.

She could read him easily. He was a feeble mind. An ugly kid who had turned into an unattractive man, rejected by women all his life. He had been searching for recognition by using his limited talents to gain power over his country. He had thought his allegiance to Saruman would bring him enough power to gain the affection of the king's beautiful niece. Had his looks been better, he could have been a decent enchanter, working hard to improve the lives of the Rohirrim. Life was not always fair.

"Yes, I am hungry," murmured the man lying on the floor.

"Merry, once you have spoken to Glorfindel, please bring food for Grima."

* * *

><p>Glorfindel had come and guarded Grima while he ate, but had admitted his inability to help her with Saruman. He stayed with them in the study, worried at her state of exhaustion resulting from the constant fight over Saruman's mind. Only Eru knew what would happen if she failed before Mithrandir arrived. Saruman would have his full strength, and Elleniel would probably not survive it. Neither would he.<p>

Glorfindel had sent the hobbits to the gate to wait for Mithrandir's arrival. Towards the end of the afternoon, a commotion was heard outside.

"Mithrandir has arrived, Elleniel. We need to bring Saruman and Grima outside."

She could hardly answer him. She was about to collapse, and could not bring Saruman wherever Glorfindel wanted to bring him. Glorfindel tied Grima and asked him to follow them.

"We need his staff and the palantir," Elleniel reminded him with a feeble voice.

Using the velvet cloth as a bag, Glorfindel gave the palantir to Elleniel. He took the staff under his arm, and maintaining firmly Elleniel's hand on Saruman's forehead, he lifted the wizard's body and they all went down the stairs at the slow pace demanded by the elleth's weariness.

The bright sun light blinded the four of them as they passed the front gates. After a few seconds, they saw that a large group mounted on their horses was in front of them. Mithrandir was in the front with King Theoden, a few Rohirrim were with them, along with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. The hobbits were on the ground, smoking their pipes, to Gimli's dismay.

Glorfindel pushed Grima aside and lowered Saruman's body to the ground. Elleniel sat beside him, still mumbling the spell.

"Elleniel? You can let him go, I will handle him now," Mithrandir said to the Blue Istar.

She removed her hand, but stayed on the ground, unable to stand up. The palantir was right beside her, the open cloth showing the sphere to anyone who was paying attention to it.

It took Saruman a minute or so to completely wake up and jump to his feet. Mithrandir and King Theoden started negotiating his surrender with him.

No one had noticed that Pippin had walked to the palantir, and that he had removed the cloth completely to look at it. They only realized it when he gasped, his hands stuck on the sphere that was now bright red.

Elleniel was closest to him. She did not hesitate, she grabbed the palantir, only to find that it was now stuck in her own hands. She sent a panicked look to Mithrandir before she fell to the ground unconscious.

Glorfindel, who was paying attention to the discussion, suddenly felt a change in the connection with his mate. Mithrandir told everyone not to touch Elleniel, wondering what she was seeing at the moment. Glorfindel did not want to know what she was seeing. Palantirs were dangerous, and he wanted this one out of his mate's hands.

She suddenly started to writhe, screaming in pain at the top of her lungs. He opened his connection to see what was happening to her, and fell to the ground, feeling the agony of this too familiar excruciating pain.

"Elleniel! This pain is only in your mind," he told her in their language, but his words were incomprehensible to most people around. Furthermore, even Mithrandir, Legolas and Aragorn did not comprehend his words, as they were intersected with his own grunts of pain.

Saruman jumped on the opportunity offered by this event. While everyone's eyes were either on Elleniel or on Glorfindel, he bent and grabbed the staff that Glorfindel had dropped.

"Saruman! Your staff is broken!" cried Mithrandir who had glimpsed Saruman's move from the corner of his eye. Legolas nocked an arrow and aimed at Saruman, who halted all further movements. The actions had removed the attention from Elleniel, but as soon as Saruman lifted his hands in a submissive gesture, their attention came back to the mates, still in pain.

Merry watched the elleth he had grown to like very much as she was lost in her pain. He could not take the palantir in his hands, but he certainly could do something with his feet. Without hesitation, he ran to Elleniel and strongly kicked the palantir, effectively removing it from her hands. Mithrandir dismounted quickly and wrapped the palantir in its cloth.

Elleniel and Glorfindel quieted as soon as the palantir had left her hands. Glorfindel recovered quickly, and joined his mate who was still lying on the ground. She had stopped screaming, but her eyes were still half-crazed, as if she was still under the spell of the palantir. He knelt beside her, and held her limp body against his chest.

"Come back to me, my love. It is over," he repeated ceaselessly, rocking her softly. He did not care what the warriors around them would think. They had no idea what Elleniel had just gone through.

"Put Saruman and Wormtongue in the dungeons," ordered Mithrandir. "Pippin, please bring our guests to the kitchen and ensure everyone gets something to eat." Eomer grabbed Grima while Legolas and Gimli took care of Saruman. The rest of the group followed Pippin to the kitchen, except King Theoden, Merry and Aragorn.

"What happened?" asked Mithrandir to Glorfindel.

"She was burning."

"Burning?"

"She was lying on a pyre. Burning."

"But she was here!" exclaimed Merry.

"Whoever was at the other end of the palantir tricked her mind into thinking she was being burned alive."

"And you remember as well, Glorfindel?" asked Mithrandir with compassion. He too had fought a Balrog, and had felt the pain of burning alive.

Glorfindel did not answer. It was beyond words. "Why is she not coming back?" he finally asked.

"Let me take a look at her, Glorfindel," said Aragorn, extending his arms to receive Elleniel's body from Glorfindel. Reluctantly, Glorfindel laid his mate on the ground, near Aragorn. The Ranger examined the elleth quickly, noting that she had no physical injury.

"Lady Elleniel," he called, watching her dilated pupils and ragged breathing. Getting no reaction, he gave her a violent slap on the face. Seconds later, his body was pinned to the ground underneath Glorfindel, and he took many blows before Mithrandir was able to stop the furious ellon that was beating Isildur's heir.

"Lady Elleniel?" asked Merry who had gone closer to the elleth during the fight. The slap had taken her out of her trance. "Are you well?"

She looked at Merry, recognizing him, but he was not the one she needed.

"Glorfindel..." she moaned.

Instantaneously, her mate was at her side, having forgotten all about Aragorn.

"My beloved! I am here, I will always be there for you..." She started to cry, and Glorfindel put her face against his neck.

"Leave us!" ordered Mithrandir to Aragorn and Merry. Once they were gone, Mithrandir sat down beside the couple, and waited for Elleniel to recover. Once her sobs grew quiet, he took the elleth's hand.

"What happened, Elleniel? What did you see?"

"Sauron. Sauron saw me."

"And?" insisted the White Istar.

"He knew... that I am the one who killed his Nazguls. He said he would give me a foretaste of what he would do to me once his orcs brought me to him. He will burn me alive!"

"He will never get you," promised her mate, forcing her to meet his gaze. "I will not allow it."

"Join us in the kitchen when she will be ready," said Mithrandir before leaving them.

Glorfindel kissed softly Elleniel's forehead.

"I am not hungry," she said.

"Me neither. We will stay outside if you prefer."

* * *

><p>Merry was concerned. Everyone was sleeping around him, in the common room on the first floor of Orthanc. Elleniel was lying near him, while Glorfindel had left to discuss with Mithrandir and the Ents. What could they still have to say? He knew Elleniel was not resting, her mind still tortured by what had happened earlier. And who could blame her? He could do nothing to comfort her.<p>

After an hour or so of staring at the ceiling, she sighed heavily, stood up silently and got out of the room. Merry followed her, wondering where she was heading and if he should let Lord Glorfindel know of her whereabouts. She started walking in the courtyard, disregarding the fact that her boots were getting muddy now that the water had started to be absorbed by the ground. Merry watched her for as long as he could, and realized she was going in the forest. As an elf, she probably needed the woods to soothe her mind. But did she realize the forest might be dangerous? Worried about her safety, he decided to follow her in the forest.

He saw her walk around in the woods, touching the trees as if she was communicating with them. Suddenly, she crouched and jumped so high that she actually disappeared in the leaves. He heard the noises of the leaves and branches as she was jumping from tree to tree, too high for him to see. He followed the noises, realizing that they were getting deeper and deeper in the forest. He did not feel welcomed in these woods. Could she not feel it too?

From the corner of his eye, he saw a figure running at ground level, at such speed that it could only be an elf. The elf jumped in a tree far away, and Merry noticed that the elf was blond, but at such speed, he could not tell if it was Legolas or Lord Glorfindel. Obviously, whoever he was, the elf was chasing the tormented elleth. He lost them quickly, and was left all alone in the middle of the forest.

_I should have minded my own business, _he thought. He walked around for a while, wondering in which direction Isengard was. _Certainly, Treebread will find me quickly when the others realize that I am gone. _At that exact moment, he heard faint voices speaking in Elvish. He had found them! He was not lost. Wondering if he should signal his presence, he decided to listen to their voices first. Although he could not understand what they were saying, their tones would be a good indication of the mood they were in. Was Elleniel still unwell?

He recognized her voice, although it had not this confident tone she usually used. She seemed in a fragile state, and a deep voice was animatedly speaking to her. He immediately recognized Glorfindel's voice, much lower than the voice of his friend Legolas.

He heard a commotion, and the elves slowly started to come down the tree they had been in. Since Merry still did not know if he should have signalled his presence or not, he hid behind a tree. He saw Glorfindel jump to the ground, and extend his hand to his mate. Elleniel slowly came down, as if she felt unsafe. Her eyes were puffy from crying and her hair a little dishevelled. Merry had never seen her look so defeated. Glorfindel put his cloak on the ground, and tenderly pulled her hand to make her lie down on it. _They will take their rest here, in the forest, _thought Merry, and he was about to join them to sleep near the couple when he saw Glorfindel position himself on top of Elleniel and trail many kisses on her face and neck.

_Oh no! They are going to mate! _He was stuck. He could not walk back alone as he was lost, and if he moved, they would hear him with their elven ears. He hid behind the tree again, and slowly sat on the ground, his back against the uncomfortable tree bark, waiting for them to be done so he could go back to his bed, the bed he should never have left. Why did he think he could have given her comfort? He could not offer her the kind of comfort that she really needed. Only her mate could.

* * *

><p>"Why did you leave Orthanc?" Glorfindel asked his mate as soon as he found her hiding at the top of a tree, deep in the forest.<p>

He had met with Mithrandir and Treebeard to discuss how the Ents would guard Saruman and Grima during the rest of the war. The Council would make a decision about their future if and when Sauron was defeated. When he came back from the meeting, he realized Elleniel had left Orthanc. He had used their fëa connection, and had realized his wife was in the forest. Merry was also missing, but he had not cared about the hobbit at that point. Fortunately, finding her had been easy. She was not actually trying to hide; otherwise he would not have found her that quickly.

"I thought the trees would soothe me," she murmured, not even looking at him.

"Did they?"

"No. They say my torment is beyond their healing powers." She was sitting on a branch, her head against the trunk. A constant flow of tears was slowly rolling down her face. She tried to wipe them, and then turned to her mate, giving him a poor, apologetic smile. Glorfindel was shocked. He had never seen his mate in such state; she was an emotional wreck.

"You will forget, Elleniel. I know this pain, I died this way during my fight with the flaming Balrog."

"He will catch me, Glorfindel. And when he does, he will torture me for days before submitting me to the most horrifying death I could imagine."

"But he will not catch you."

"How do you know?"

"I know because I will never let him!"

"Glorfindel, if we ever get stuck alone against hundreds of orcs around us, he will capture me. Be realistic."

He did not have anything to reply to this.

"Promise me, Glorfindel, promise me that if we are in a desperate situation, you will end my life."

"What? What did you just say?"

"I asked you to kill me before letting Sauron's beasts capture me."

"I will never make such a promise! We will either live forever together, or die together. Now stop thinking these unpleasant thoughts. Do not let Sauron destroy you with a mind trick. That is all it was. A simple mind trick. He is still the same evil than before, no worse than earlier today. We will still fight his armies, and we will win. And then, we will sail to Valinor, live in peace, and forget about today. What say you? "

She shrugged. She knew he was trying to cheer her up, but he was failing miserably.

"Let's get to the ground. I want to be close to you, and I cannot do it in this tree. Come!" he urged when he saw she was not reacting. He pulled her hand, and he started his descent, much slower than he would have done under normal circumstances. She followed him, carefully coming down as if she was unsure of her movements.

When they reached the ground, he removed his cloak and lay it on the earth. He helped her to lie down, and deciding that only one thing could take her mind off the palantir's torment, he slowly pulled himself on top of her.

"My love," he said between kisses on her face, "close your eyes and let me love you."

She did as he asked, but he could feel she was extremely tense. When he kissed her mouth, asking for entrance, she let him kiss her deeply, but did not respond to the caress of his tongue. Leaving her mouth, he trailed kisses to her ear, and licked lightly its tip. She shuddered but that was her only reaction to his loving. Her mind was still deeply troubled. Understanding he needed more than just affection to take her out of her pain, he slowly started to remove her tunic, marveling once again at how beautiful she was. For the first time, he was making love to her while she was not her ever confident self. It moved him to see her so weak and fragile emotionally. He would take care of her like she needed, and she would be well again. By renewing their bond, he would give her some of his strength, and she would recover more quickly.

He removed her leggings, and for long minutes, he caressed her body while he kissed her again. She was still not responding to his kiss, but he could feel her body relax as he was gently massaging her breasts. He moved his hand to her stomach, and then her thighs. She unconsciously opened her legs, and he started stroking her slit. Her body was more than ready to make love, but her mind was still not into it. Her head was turned towards the trees, she was not even looking at him.

Deciding that only a full coupling would bring her back to reality, he undressed himself quickly, and opening her thighs wider, he entered her, tasting all over again how warm and tight she was around him.

"Elleniel," he moaned in her neck as he was slowly moving in and out of her. With each thrust, her breathing was picking up, but she still was not letting go. How could she not feel the ecstasy of their mating? He could hardly resist spilling himself right now, and she was still immobile underneath him.

He felt both rejected and distressed. Unable to continue without her full participation and enjoyment, he removed himself from her, deeply troubled that she did not respond to his body. But as soon as he moved away, her face turned to him and she asked what he was doing.

"I am sorry, meleth, but I cannot. You are not enjoying this at all. This is against our nature!"

"Glorfindel, please, do not stop, do not leave me alone!"

"I am not leaving you!" he answered, wondering how she was associating his removal from her body with abandonment.

"Come back," she begged, grabbing his bottom and pulling him to her entrance. "Make love to me! Do not leave me!"

He did as she bid and reentered her warmth, and she sighed heavily in relief.

"I am sorry, my love. I want you. I need you! Stay inside of me!" she said, panic in her eyes.

"Elleniel, what is going on? I am not leaving you! I simply want your full participation when we make love."

"I cannot! I cannot think of anything else than the burning!"

He started slamming into her vigorously while she was talking, and her breathing picked up again. He had her full attention now, and he would bring her to completion and give her some of his strength without her notice.

"Look at my eyes, Elleniel. I love you, your hear me? I love you! Do you like what I am doing to you?"

She nodded, moaning when he lifted her left leg to angle himself differently and penetrate her more deeply.

"Tell me what you want me to do. Elleniel? Concentrate! What do you want?"

"Faster..."

He complied, further increasing the pace of his thrusts. She was now moaning his name ceaselessly, her gaze still locked with his, completely forgetting about the events of the day. He kept talking to her, telling her of the pleasure rising in his body, and asking her to share with him her own preferences.

"Are you close?" he asked, although he could tell she was. Her back was arched, her nipples completely erect, her eyes were half-closed. He bent his head and sucked the tip of her ear. She screamed his name as orgasm struck her violently, her spasms around his engorged member starting his own release. It was an incredibly intense climax for both of them, and it left them both sated and exhausted. He remained on top of her, kissing her sweetly and murmuring words of love that brought tears to her eyes. He eventually rolled their bodies so she would lie on top of him, and covered their bodies with her cloak, deciding that sleeping in the forest would give her more time to recover before facing the others in the morning.

"Are you going to stay there all night?" she asked, already half-asleep, referring to his member still buried inside of her.

"Forever."

She chuckled and fell into deep reverie. He did not fall asleep immediately, worried that Sauron had been able to hurt his mate while she was with him. And he had not been able to do anything to prevent it. He would have to be more vigilant in the future.

* * *

><p>Merry had not peeked at them at all, but could not have avoided hearing what had happened between the two elves. At first, he had thought elves were mating in complete silence. That would not have surprised him, elves were such different creatures! Shortly after, he heard Glorfindel's groans, and wondered how come the elleth was not enjoying herself in the same manner. He then heard her panicked voice as she seemed to beg Glorfindel about something. That is when he started hearing her melodious cries as Glorfindel was worshiping her body. He could not see, but his hearing told him he was witnessing one of the most passionate lovemaking imaginable. And to think this strong ellon, a warrior idolized in all Middle Earth, could be so tender and loving to his wife, and show his weakness in her arms as he was feeling the joy of their coupling!<p>

Merry had had lovers back in the Shire, but his sexual relations with female friends had been more pleasant than passionate activities. But now, how he longed to find a mate to share such love! If he survived the quest, he would cease pursuing females for the sport and seriously look for his soul-mate.

He started being worried that the elves had left the forest, and to make sure he had not missed them, he gave a quick look to the place where they had been lying. Elleniel was asleep in her mate's arms. He sighed in relief, and the noise caught Glorfindel's attention. Merry quickly hid himself behind the tree trunk again, and after a couple of minutes, realized Glorfindel had not seen him. He arranged his cloak on the ground and fell asleep, thinking that he would follow them the next day.

* * *

><p>Elleniel woke up at sun rise, hearing the noises of their horses close to them. They had followed their trail during the night. Asfaloth was such an impressive stallion! Elleniel's face was against Glorfindel's neck, and she suddenly realized he was gently moving her body on his length. She sat down abruptly on him, revealing her nudity to his eyes.<p>

"You really stayed inside of me all night?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well, of course!" he answered with a lazy smile.

"Gods! You are such a liar!" she replied, hitting him lightly on the chest.

"I could not resist. Having you nude in my arms, in the right position? That got me hard instantaneously! Unfortunately, you woke up right away. Unless you want…?"

"Why not?" she replied, slowly moving up and down on him.

"You have to promise to be silent, though."

"Why?"

"Because I say so."

Wondering what this was all about, she nevertheless did as he bid, biting her lips to stifle her moans as she felt the tension build in her body with every movement. Glorfindel was watching her with hunger in his eyes, holding her hips to try to increase her speed. Once the pace was to his satisfaction, he moved one hand to her firm breasts, teasing her nipples, while his other hand was stroking her clitoris. She bent to have access to his mouth and started kissing him, her dark hair flowing around his head, isolating them from the rest of the world.

They both silently came to completion, tremendously enjoying watching their partner as they were concentrating on their other senses but hearing.

Once she was back on his chest, face in his neck, she asked why they had to be silent.

"You see the tree there? Well… Merry is sleeping behind it."

It took her a few seconds to process that piece of information.

"What?"

"Merry has been with us."

"Since when?"

"Since last night."

Within seconds, Elleniel was fully dressed, completely mortified that their lovemaking had been witnessed.

"Do not be harsh with him. I do not think he meant to."

"Easier said than done! You are not the one whose screams could have been heard all the way to Lothlorien!"

She was planning to have the argument of a lifetime with the hobbit, but quickly dropped the idea when she saw him sleep in fetal position, looking innocent and all.

"What did I tell you?" her mate murmured for her benefit while he was taking care of their horses.

"Merry?" she said, gently shaking the hobbit. "Merry! Time to wake up. We need to leave."

When the hobbit opened his eyes and saw Elleniel had discovered him, his happy expression turned to a grim one, expecting her to unleash her anger.

"Come, you can share my horse like in the old times," she simply said.

* * *

><p>He had his forehead on her back and his arms around her waist. They would shortly arrive to Isengard, and he still had not found the right words to apologize. She had not spoken to him either. Glorfindel was riding beside them, and he too, was not looking at Merry.<p>

"Lady Elleniel?"

"Hum?" she distractedly asked.

"I wish to apologize for what happened last night. I did not mean to spy on you. But I was lost and -"

"Why did you follow me in the first place?" she interrupted.

"I do not know. I was worried. I wanted to bring you comfort."

Glorfindel looked at him sharply.

"Not quite like that!" Merry told him, understanding her mate's sudden reaction. "I care for you, my Lady. You took care of me once. I wanted to return the favor."

"Do not worry, young one. It is actually me who should thank you. Unless my eyes are mistaken, I believe it was you who actually removed the palantir from my wife's hands," Glorfindel said.

"I did. I could see she was in pain and so were you, feeling the same pain through your link. I just could not let that continue, even if the wizards were fighting."

"Thank you, Merry," Elleniel said, looking at him behind her shoulder. Merry could tell her usual spirit was back when she gave him her sarcastic smile. "Now let's hope you will forget what you saw last night."

"What I heard! I did not see anything." She lifted her eyebrow, like her ada. "I did not see anything compromising," he specified.

"That's what I thought," she said, laughing heartily. "Try to forget last night please!"

"I will try!" But he knew he would not. Ever.

* * *

><p>"Sauron will attack Minas Tirith shortly. We will go to Rohan first, and try to convince King Theoden to send troops to their aid." Gandalf was describing his plan for the remaining members of the fellowship. "Elleniel, you will ride to Minas Tirith and warn the Steward Denethor that Sauron's strike will happen soon."<p>

"I cannot."

"You cannot or will not?" asked Aragorn.

"Sauron will strike the elven realms as well," she explained. "I am sorry, Aragorn, but this is where my allegiance lies."

"How do you know that?" asked Mithrandir sharply.

"I saw it. In Sauron's mind, when I touched the palantir."

"There will be Nazguls in Gondor!" insisted Aragorn.

"There is one Nazgul in Dol Guldur, Aragorn. I have to protect Lothlorien and Mirkwood."

"What about the Nazguls left in Mordor?" he challenged her.

"You have the White Wizard with you. It should suffice," she answered, eying Mithrandir.

"Aragorn," said Mithrandir to the Ranger, "we are wasting our time here. Get the others ready to leave in a few hours." When Aragorn left, the wizard turned to Elleniel. "I hope you know what you are doing, Blue Istar. Should you be wrong, you will have many people unhappy that you have left us in our hours of need."

"Khamul is in Dol Guldur. He is the second most dangerous Nazgul after the Witch-King of Angmar, who is in Mordor right now. If you are able to unite them, you will have thousands of men to fight the armies of Mordor. Lothlorien and Mirkwood will merely have a few hundred warriors to fight the Dol Guldur armies. With all due respect, Mithrandir, you are the one who is supposed to save the mortals. My duty is to destroy Nazguls and protect my kin. I will do both by fighting in the south of Mirkwood."

Mithrandir was about to argue further when he realized that both Elleniel and Glorfindel were on the same page, their body language expressing determination and growing impatience.

"Good luck, then."

"Good luck to you too."

When Elleniel and Glorfindel left the camp, only Legolas and Merry said farewell. They were the only ones who were not angry with their decision to join the elven armies. Everyone else watched them leave with resentment. Elleniel was hurt by their animosity, but hid it behind her usual cold front.

"The right decision is not always the most popular one," said Glorfindel as they were mounting their horses. "How long till the first attack?"

"The Dol Goldur army is getting ready to attack Lothlorien. I am afraid we might miss the first strike!"

"Then stop worrying about Mithrandir's opinion and ride hard!"

* * *

><p>To be continued...<p> 


	9. Chapter 9 Passing

_Chapter 8 ended with:_

_"The Dol Goldur army is getting ready to attack Lothlorien. I am afraid we might miss the first strike!"_

_"Then stop worrying about Mithrandir's opinion and ride hard!"_

**Chapter 9 - Passing**

When they reached the southern border of Lothlorien 12 days later, they were surprised to meet only three wardens while Haldir usually left at least twenty of them at all times. How odd.

The wardens shared some of their water and food with the travelers.

"Why are you so few at the border?" Glorfindel asked, dreading the answer.

"We have been attacked at the eastern border twice by armies from Dol Guldur, my Lord. The Marchwarden is keeping very little wardens at the other borders, as everyone is needed for battle. IS there any back up following you? Are your brothers coming, Lady Elleniel?"

"No, they are not. The last time I heard about them, they were with the Dunedain Rangers, who are on their way to Rohan to join Lord Aragorn. But Glorfindel and I have decided to defend Lothlorien."

"This is good news. We need every warrior, and the two of you are worth ten of them!"

"We will make a stop at Caras Galadhon and will join the other wardens at the eastern border."

"You should hurry. We received word yesterday that Lady Galadriel has foreseen another attack within the week."

Elleniel and Glorfindel finished their meal and jumped back on their horses, determined not to miss the next battle.

* * *

><p>They reached the eastern border the next day right after dawn. Glorfindel had successfully convinced her to spend a few hours in the comfortable bed of their guest talan, hours they had used to make love and sleep better than they had during their journey.<p>

They entered a glade where her grandparents were discussing the upcoming battle plans with their Marchwarden and many warriors. They could see wardens all over the flets above them, fletching arrows and sharpening their swords. A horrific stench was coming from the battlefield, familiar sent of burning orc carcasses.

"Elleniel!" Lady Galadriel smiled when she saw her granddaughter walk to her. "I knew you would arrive shortly, although I expected you earlier," she said, glaring at Glorfindel.

Elleniel gave her a warm hug, and did the same to her grandfather who held her tight for long minutes, obviously aware of what had happened to her in Isengard when she had touched the palantir.

"We will not let them get you, my child," the ellon told her with a hard voice.

Meanwhile, Glorfindel had recognized many Imladris warriors around them. Wondering under what circumstances his warriors had arrived in Lothlorien, he realized that Lord Elrond was standing at the other end of the clearing, waiting for Lord Celeborn to be done welcoming Elleniel back in Lothlorien.

"Elleniel, your Ada is here," he whispered to his mate. He went to his Lord and bowed to him respectfully.

Elleniel jerked out of her grandfather's arms, and stared at the ellon who had made the journey to Lothlorien in these troubled times.

"Ada?" she asked in disbelief. The ellon was watching her without moving, unsure of how she would welcome him. After all, the last time they had seen each other, she had just bound with Glorfindel, and no one had been quite joyful about it. He was ashamed of his original reaction to their binding. Their parting had been quite cold, and he had regretted it terribly after their departure.

"What are you doing here?"

"I needed to discuss Arwen's health with Celeborn and Galadriel."

"Is something wrong with her?"

"Arwen has chosen mortality, Elleniel. She will follow Aragorn in life or death."

Elleniel could not blame her sister for her choice, as she too, had considered it not long before. Only Glorfindel had been able to stop her from choosing this fate. The fact that her sister would die sooner than later suddenly made her dizzy. Her father must be heartbroken. Losing your own child had to be unbearable for a parent.

She walked to her father and snaked her arms around his waist, trying to give him some comfort.

"I am sorry to hear this, Ada. This is ill news."

Elrond crushed her against his chest. "I cannot think of anything else. I have three children fighting in this war, while the other is slowly fading in Imladris. The only comfort that I have is that you, at least, have decided against this fate that tempted you for many centuries. I know I owe it to your mate, and I now thank the Valar every day for their decision to send Glorfindel to my realm to protect my family."

"Arwen is already fading?"

"Yes. Her soul is slowly losing hope."

"You should be with her then!" she said. "Her entire family has deserted her while she should not be left alone. Her despair can only increase under these circumstances!"

"My best healers are with her, Elleniel."

"You are the best healer, Ada!"

"I am needed here more than in Imladris. Galadriel has summoned me here, and I will not leave until she bids me leave."

Elleniel watched her grandmother, who was avoiding her gaze. She suddenly realized that someone would be grievously injured during the next battle in Lothlorien, someone close to Galadriel's heart. Celeborn? Haldir? Glorfindel? Herself? Two of them? Judging by her grandmother's attitude, she had no intentions of sharing that information with anyone, Elrond least of all.

"Will you participate in the battle then, or remain aside to take care of the injured?"

"I will fight, daughter of mine! You have never seen me on a battlefield!"

"No, but I was told about your prowesses in the Second Age. It will be a pleasure to fight at your side, Ada."

"I wish I could say the same. To be quite honest with you, I would prefer to never see my children on a battlefield."

"Maybe once Sauron is defeated, you will never have to witness this ever again."

"All our hopes are with two small hobbits on their way to Mount Doom, and with Aragorn, King Theoden and their followers, who are riding to Minas Tirith as we speak. Your brothers are with him."

"I will go take a look at the battlefield with Haldir," Glorfindel told them.

"Wait for me, I want to see it too," she told her mate.

"Go, my child, I will talk to you later," Elrond said, knowing how eager she was to see the aftermath of the last attack.

When the three elves got out of the forest, they saw that the cleaning of the battlefield was well underway. There were five pyres of orc carcasses, releasing the horrid odor they had smelled earlier. Right beside the forest line, many elves were burying the corpses of their fallen brothers.

Elleniel was starting counting the mounds when Haldir interrupted her thoughts: "43. We lost 43 wardens."

"How many injured? I did not visit the healing telain when we were in the city."

"21 injured are in Caras Galadhon. We have at least a fifty wardens with minor injuries that remained here."

"That is a terrible casualty report, Haldir," Glorfindel replied. "How was the attack? Do you think it will be the last one from Dol Guldur?"

"The Lady does not think so, and so do I. We have not seen most of the Dol Guldur army yet! I expect that the Nazgul in charge at the fortress will tire of his armies being destroyed, and will send a stronger wave the next time around."

"Is the Nazgul Khamul still in command at the fortress?" asked Glorfindel.

"Lady Galadriel believes he is still there. The Witch-King's second-in-command is also the second most dangerous Ringwraith," Haldir added.

"He is," Elleniel confirmed. "Lord Tulkas, during my training, spent much time telling me about each of them. Khamul is more dangerous than the other ones I have killed so far."

"Do you think he will eventually follow his troops to Lothlorien, or will he remain at the fortress?"

"He will come, have no doubt about it. If not at the next battle, it will be for the following one. He must have received orders to destroy Lothlorien, and his two unsuccessful attempts will not make him shine in front of Sauron and the Witch-King. He will want to see for himself what is happening in Lothlorien."

"You must prepare then!" Haldir exclaimed.

"Prepare for what?" asked Elleniel, truly wondering what the Marchwarden meant.

"Come up with a strategy!"

"Haldir, there is no strategy that I can prepare. He will show up, recognize me and come to me. And then... we will fight until one of us dies."

Haldir looked at Glorfindel with consternation. "There is no plan? She just fights?"

"Yes," Glorfindel confirmed.

Haldir's expression was clearing indicating his thoughts on the matter. He could not believe that Glorfindel was not stepping in and forcing his mate to come up with a plan, or some kind of trap.

"Haldir, if she could come up with a plan, she would," continued Glorfindel. "This is a Nazgul we are talking about, not a mortal or a dwarf!"

"I suggest you come up with a plan yourself, Marchwarden," Elleniel cut them. "The orcs will have their general with them, their attack will be better prepared this time."

She left them to go back to the clearing where she knew her family was. At least, her Ada and grandparents would not express their disapproval that clearly.

* * *

><p>The earth was trembling under the marching feet of the orcs. It was passed midnight a few days after Elleniel's arrival in Lothlorien. The third attack was about to start. A bigger wave than the last two, as they had expected.<p>

"Is he there?" asked Glorfindel to his mate who was standing beside him. Elleniel had elected not to wear her armor, to move more freely during her combat with the Nazgul.

"Yes. Khamul is here."

She had sensed the Nazgul's presence long before. She was less than thrilled that she had been right to expect him during this attack. Before Isengard, she had thought the only consequence to being defeated by a Nazgul was a quick death. Now, she knew her death would be agonizing. Agonizing and slow. She hastily switched thoughts, in case Glorfindel was reading her through their bond. He did not need to know what she had discovered during her morning meditation. What an enlightenment!

The moon and the stars were shining in the cloudless sky. It would have been a perfect night for the elves, if they had not been standing, swords ready, in front of a mass of orcs. In their lines, some beasts started screaming insults at their adversaries, their harsh voices breaking the silence of this quiet night.

"Let's rid the Golden Woods of these despicable creatures!" Lord Celeborn yelled, loud enough to be heard by all the soldiers, but not by the orcs. "Their presence is soiling Lothlorien. The Valar are counting on the Eldar to eliminate this filth from Middle Earth, and we will not disappoint them!"

"Wardens and Imladris warriors!" called Haldir, lifting his sword above their heads. "Follow the plan at all times! Protect our Lady and Lords! And show them no mercy, for their only thought is to slaughter us all and burn Caras Galadhon!"

A screeching sound was heard, coming from behind the orcs. The Ringwraith was revealing his presence to the elves. The warriors around Elleniel shivered. To their keen hearing, this sound was insufferable. Elleniel heard murmurs around her. The warriors were wondering who would fight the Nazgul, and a few looked at her as for waiting for a confirmation.

"The Nazgul is mine!" she screamed for all to hear.

"You did not have to scream it that loud," Glorfindel chided. "You will catch his attention."

"That was the goal! While he searches for me and fights with me, he is leaving his army leaderless. This is improving our chances, Glorfindel!" Turning back in the direction of the orcs line, she whispered a spell and lifted her now glowing Nazgul sword above her head. "Come fight with me, coward! Stop hiding behind your witless beasts!" she screamed in the black speech.

Every elf around her covered their ears with their hands. Only the Lords and Lady had heard the black speech in its purest form spoken before, and they looked at Elleniel in shock, disapproving her use of it in front of their people.

The answering cry from the Nazgul told them that Elleniel's challenge would not go unanswered.

"Fire!" screamed Haldir, and a volley of arrows flew from the back of the elven lines. At the same time, the rest of the army started running in the direction of the orcs, swords drawn. The orcs did the same, and within moments, the sounds of swords clashing, insults and painful cries rose from everywhere all at once.

Glorfindel was watching his mate kill orc after orc, slowing making her way towards the Nazgul, who was mounted on his black horse, searching for her on the battlefield. Glorfindel suddenly realized the Ringwraith had spotted her when he emitted another screeching sound and dismounted, his black cloak opening, showing the Nazgul armor covering its invisible body. Her foe slowly made his way to her, pushing the orcs that stood on his way, his blade pointed in her direction.

Elleniel mocked him, pointing her own Nazgul blade in his.

"Why are you doing this?" Glorfindel asked, killing the orcs that were attempting to hurt his mate. "You will raise his anger!"

"It is my only chance, Glorfindel," she said in a soft voice, her eyes never leaving the Ringwraith. "This is no mere Nazgul. This one is the second most powerful of them, only surpassed by the Witch-King himself. I do not stand a chance, Glorfindel. Do you not realize that?" she asked, turning her head to give him a gentle smile. "I love you, Glorfindel. I hope we will be reunited one day..." On these last words, she started screaming and ran to the Nazgul who was waiting for her.

Stunned, Glorfindel had stopped fighting, and did not get killed only because his Imladris soldiers had made a circle around him to protect their beloved captain. Glorfindel suddenly remembered how feverish their lovemaking had been that same morning, how Elleniel told him things she never had said before, like there was no tomorrow... _There is no tomorrow for us!_

"No, Elleniel, no!" he screamed, determined to join her and fight the Nazgul with her. This time, he would not stand by and watch her get hurt without fighting too. She had been able to make her way to the Nazgul without being hurt by the orcs around, as if they knew fighting this she-elf was their master's prerogative.

When Glorfindel tried to follow, he found himself in front of a wall of orcs, who were hiding his mate from his sight. His warriors, understanding the urgency and desperation of her situation, tried to help him reach her, but there were more orcs getting in their way, protecting their master.

Lord Elrond suddenly appeared beside him, black orc blood spilled all over his armor. "Where is she?" he asked around. "Where is she?" he screamed after having received no answer. A warrior pointed the orcs that were encircling the Nazgul and his daughter. It had only been a few minutes, and Elleniel was already bleeding from a cut on her right arm. The blades were slashing at unbelievable speed, metal sparks illuminating the elleth's face, rendering the elves witnessing the combat speechless. None of them had ever seen anyone fight a Nazgul, and certainly not with such agility and courage. But it was clear to them all that Elleniel's strength was faltering while the Nazgul seemed perfectly at ease.

Glorfindel and Elrond lead their soldiers to the circle, killing orcs swiftly to reach her as fast as possible. It was a monumental task, one that took them too much time. By the time they got closer to Elleniel, she had sustained a second injury to her leg and was severely limping.

"Go away!" she screamed when she saw her mate and her father getting too close to the Nazgul. When they did not stop their progress, she lifted a hand and a blueish invisible wall appeared around the Nazgul and her, effectively isolating them from both elven and orcish soldiers.

She knew what she was doing. There had been hope that she would survive her mission, but today, she had felt it. Before the end of the night, she would be in the Halls of Mandos, beginning the long process of contemplation before being released to be reborn. But she had promised herself that she would go down killing the damned Nazgul. There was no other option. Because the Ringwraith would otherwise kill all her family present on the battlefield, and Middle Earth could not afford that. Their deaths would be a great sorrow to all in Middle Earth. Her own would only pain a few elves... She had to keep them from harm by maintaining this barrier between her loved ones and the Nazgul.

The Nazgul was no longer patiently testing her skills. She knew she had lasted much longer than he had expected, and he wanted her dead now. She wondered why he was not taking her prisoner to bring her to Sauron. Had the Dark Lord changed his mind about torturing her? Why was he toying with her?

She transferred her sword to her left arm, the right one being numb by now. Her leg was profusely bleeding, and she knew she would lose her mobility very shortly. Mentally maintaining the wall was getting more difficult with every passing second.

As if he had read her mind, the Nazgul told her: "I should bring you to my master, but I do not have time. I will kill you, and bring him back your body. He will send the pieces back to your father."

Glorfindel and Lord Elrond started hitting the invisible wall with their swords, trying to break through it to save her. But they would only sacrifice their lives...

She attacked the Ringwraith once more, but he avoided her blade and gave a vicious kick on her injured leg. She screamed in agony and fell to her knees. Before she had time to recover, he punched her in the face with his gauntlet and she fell on her back, her sword projected a few feet from her. The Nazgul, towering over her, put his heavy armor boot on her chest, effectively cutting her air supply.

She could hear the screams of her mate and her father nearby. She was in pain, but nothing she could not endure. The Nazgul started laughing cruelly, and kicked her injured leg again. She screamed, only to discover worse pain could be felt when he crushed her second knee. Both her legs were now broken.

"I will make you pay for what you did to my kin, she-elf!" Elleniel felt his boot press even harder on her chest. She yelled when she felt the sharp pain of her ribs breaking under the pressure.

Glorfindel, outside of the wall, was still hitting the invisible barrier with his sword, hoping to break the spell that was keeping him out. Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel were beside him, casting spell after spell to remove it. But their magic was not able to remove Elleniel's spell; all they could do was watch the Nazgul about to kill the elleth who lay defenseless beneath his foot.

From the corner of her eye, Elleniel saw that her grandfather was now standing on the other side of the wall, far from the rest of her family. Only he could go through the wall she was holding, since he had a similar kind of magic. But he understood her sacrifice, she read it in his eyes. He was grieving for what was about to happen, but he knew it was unavoidable. He was not standing there to save her, he was standing there to act when the right time came.

The Nazgul took his sword and applied its tip against her abdomen.

"Watch, you fools! Watch what happens to those who dare to defy the great Sauron, our master!"

The next events took place in less than a few seconds, so fast the witnesses did not realize what was happening until it was all over.

As the Ringwraith gathered his strength to pierce her stomach, Celeborn rushed through the wall at elven speed, and grabbing Elleniel's Nazgul sword lying close to her body, he rushed to Khamul. The creature plunged its blade in the elleth, but his attempt to avoid the Lothlorien Lord caused his sword to slice her abdomen in a long and deep laceration. An instant later, Celeborn was severing the Nazgul's sword hand, and catching the flying gauntlet, took the ring the Nazgul had been wearing. He destroyed it swiftly with Elleniel's sword.

A violent whirlwind rose within the magical barrier, and all within were lifted high in the air while the Nazgul was being sucked out of Middle Earth. He vanished, screeching in pain, and the wind dropped all of a sudden. Elleniel hit the ground hard, the Nazgul sword still lodged in her stomach. Lord Celeborn was able to land on his feet.

The invisible wall that Elleniel had been maintaining suddenly disappeared.

Lord Elrond rushed to his daughter, realizing the extent of her injuries. Her fëa was leaving her body. Glorfindel dropped to his knees, unable to move. He knew a mortal injury when he saw one.

Her broken body lay on the ground, her legs in bizarre angles. Her clothes were hiding her wounds, but the blood soaked tunic was telling much about the magnitude of her chest injury. Glorfindel saw his mate search for him, her eyes already half blind, blood profusely coming out of her mouth. She finally found him, and gave him one last loving glance before she drew her last breath. Glorfindel immediately fell to the ground, realizing the strength of their bond was diminishing. An Imladris warrior caught him before his head hit a rock.

"Captain!" he called, shaking Glorfindel who was lying on the ground, watching fixedly the empty eyes of his mate.

Elrond started to tear off Elleniel's tunic, to see the atrocious wound on her chest, while Galadriel was positioning her body for what was to come. Celeborn gave Haldir the order to continue the battle, as the orc troops, now leaderless, were fighting in a very confused manner. Slaughtering them would be much easier from that point on.

A dozen soldiers from Imladris made a circle around them, to protect the Lords and Lady from an attack while they were grieving for the fallen Nazgul Slayer. Not one of these soldiers had believed she would be able to kill all the Ringwraiths without losing her life. They would tell the tale to their brothers, letting them know of her sacrifice. Her memory would be honored by warriors in all Middle Earth.

Celeborn joined Galadriel and Elrond to try to save his granddaughter's life. He started using his most powerful healing spells to try to repair the damaged organs. In the meantime, Elrond was pumping her heart while Galadriel was breathing in her mouth, her own lips now crimson red with the blood lost by Elleniel.

Glorfindel was still paralyzed by the immense pain of having lost his mate. He was looking at the Lords and Lady without quite understanding their actions. Why would they do such a thing?

"Stop torturing her body," he implored, wanting to take his mate against his chest while her body was still warm. Soon, she would turn cold and hard, and he would bury her body in the woods, before looking for a spot where he would just lie and wait for his fading to begin. He could not imagine living without her. It was not possible for an elf to survive the loss of a mate, unless they went to Valinor. And he had no interest whatsoever in going to the Undying Lands alone.

He crawled closer to where her body was lying. He had never seen anyone in Imladris pump someone's heart like this, and had no idea what they were trying to do.

"Let me be with her, my Lord Elrond," he implored again.

"I will not forsake her, Glorfindel! We are maintain her body functions while Celeborn is trying to repair the mortally damaged organs," her father said while still pumping her heart. "This is maintaining her fëa near her body."

Around them, the warriors, despite their discretion, were not missing anything that was going on in the middle of their circle. It was the first time that they were witnessing these powerful healers in action. It was not something they had performed in public before.

Ignoring the somber mood of the warriors above them, Celeborn removed his bloodied hands from her torso and sat on the ground, obviously exhausted. "I am afraid I cannot do anything more, Elrond," he breathlessly said, painfully regretting not to be able to save his granddaughter. "This is beyond my powers. All I could do is repair her lung and liver."

"This is more than we expected, my love," Galadriel said between two blows in Elleniel's mouth. "Most of the bleeding has now stopped. She should be able to breathe better now that her lung is healed."

"The rest is just crushed bones and sliced muscles. I can take care of that," Elrond replied. "Once she comes back, I will cover her wound and bring her to a flet in the forest, where I will need to remove the bone fragments and close her wounds. We cannot wait to be back in Caras Galadhon, she will not survive that long with an open wound of this magnitude."

"The healers are at the forest line. They will have everything you need. They have sleeping potions in vast quantities," Celeborn said, having recovered some energy.

Glorfindel was listening to their discussion, wondering if his lord was just foolish or overconfident. Elleniel's body had not moved in long minutes, other than the movements caused by her father's ministrations.

"I am ready," Galadriel said. After one last look at Elrond and Celeborn, she stopped breathing in Elleniel's mouth, and putting her hands on her forehead, started whispered words to call Elleniel back to life.

Nothing happened for the longest time. Glorfindel was holding his breath, wondering if they would be successful or not. He had started hoping, despite his doubts, and would just be even more crushed if they were not successful.

Suddenly, Elleniel's body arched, while her lips opened on a soundless scream. She was breathing raggedly, her nails scratching the ground, as if she was trying to hold on to something.

"Elleniel!" Elrond called. "My daughter, look at me! How is the pain?"

She only looked at him with empty eyes, and her form suddenly relaxed, her body functions having stopped again.

Elrond resumed pumping her heart. "Too much pain! Galadriel, can you take some of her suffering?" he asked.

Elleniel's awakening had lasted less than ten seconds, but Glorfindel had realized that the efforts of the Lords and Lady had not been in vain. Elleniel's fëa had come back to her body for a short period of time. If her spirit had come back for ten seconds, it could very well come back for good. And he was going to help her return to him.

"I will do it!" Glorfindel said. He could tolerate impressive amounts of pain. He took Elleniel's hand and opened his bond with her, feeling Galadriel transfer the pain from his mate to him. But he was not ready for the onslaught of suffering that he felt once the connection started. The last time he had felt such agony was during his horrific fight with the Balrog in Gondolin. A lethal level of pain.

His body tensed immediately, and he groaned while he was feeling her pain enter his own body. No wonder her fëa wanted to escape this agony! He held for as long as he could, but he eventually had to let go of her hand or his own fëa would be at risk.

"That should be enough," Galadriel whispered to Glorfindel who was now lying on the ground. "Let's call her again, Elrond."

Celeborn came closer to Glorfindel, and helped him to sit down. They were both exhausted from their intervention, and could only hope that this time, Elleniel's fëa would remain within her body.

"Elleniel!" Elrond called for the second time.

Galadriel stopped blowing air in her mouth, and started caressing Elleniel's face and kissing her forehead.

"Come back, my child. We are not ready to let you go... We have enjoyed your presence for too short a time... Your mate is here, waiting for you to awaken. He will fade without you, Elleniel. Do not go to Mandos, please, for his sake and our sake..."

The warriors around them were hearing her plea, understanding the magnitude of the love they all felt for this strange warrior-witch. They all started praying Elbereth to give the elleth the strength to survive.

Her body suddenly jerked again, and she started to cough, choking on the blood obstructing her airways. Galadriel angled her face to help her expel it from her mouth. Her body arched again, as her pain, although now lowered to non-lethal levels by Glorfindel, was still quite considerable.

"Elleniel? How is the pain, on a scale of one to ten?" asked Elrond, eager to hear about how she exactly felt.

"Nine," she replied through gritted teeth. She moaned for a few moments, her eyes watching the stars above while she tried to assess her own injures. Her father stopped the hand she had lifted to touch her chest.

"Do not touch it! You are grievously injured," Elrond said.

Galadriel stilled her head when she tried to look at the wound.

"We will make you sleep until I have taken care of you," Elrond told her. He put his hand on her forehead and cast a sleeping spell.

"Glorfindel?" Elleniel whispered, fighting the sleep that was making her eyelids heavy.

"I am here, beloved. I will stay by your side!" He bent to give her a chaste kiss on her mouth, disregarding the blood on her face.

Elleniel closed her eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Glorfindel was sitting beside the cot where his mate was sleeping. The battle had ended three days before and Lothlorien had been victorious again. The death count had been minimal on the elven side, without a doubt due to the show that Elleniel had provided to the orcs when she had fought with the Nazgul. The beasts had literally stopped fighting to watch their terrible leader being challenged by a mere she-elf. Some had even been secretly hoping to see the Nazgul defeated, to see the end of Khamul's reign of terror over Dol Guldur. Unfortunately, these orcish onlookers had quickly lost their lives by the hands of the more disciplined elves, and never witnessed his destruction by Lord Celeborn.<p>

Glorfindel concealed a yawn. He had barely slept in the past three days. He did not want to miss the moment his mate would open her eyes for the first time. Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel had skillfully closed all her wounds, and had immobilized her legs with splints. They had also applied antivenom on all her injuries. Despite all their efforts, Elleniel had developed high fever, and a healer was feeding her potions with difficulty since Elleniel was still unconscious.

They were still at the eastern border of Lothlorien. Elleniel would not be transported to Caras Galadhon until her father noticed an improvement of her health.

Glorfindel could hear the celebrations in the forest. The wardens were celebrating the defeat of Sauron. Lady Galadriel and Lord Elrond had felt the fall of their greatest foe earlier that morning, when something had changed in the power of their rings. But Glorfindel could not participate in the festivities, not until he would be sure that his mate would fully recover from her injuries.

At the other end of the flet where Elleniel and Glorfindel were, many elves were not celebrating with the wardens. The Lords and Lady, along with Haldir and his lieutenants, were discussing their next move. Sauron was defeated, but many orcs and spiders were still at Dol Guldur. Haldir and his soldiers wanted to attack the fortress, and their plan had the full support of Lady Galadriel. The Lady's wrath knew no limit. She claimed she would take down the citadel by herself to make their foes pay for what her granddaughter had suffered. Lord Celeborn had not seen his wife in such a vengeful mood since the First Age. And as he was himself tempted to go clean the vermin in Mirkwood, he gave his acceptance to Haldir's plan.

* * *

><p>When she finally emerged from her forced slumber, she kept her eyes closed, trying to assess what her situation was before showing any signs of consciousness.<p>

She was lying on a comfortable bedroll, probably on a large flet, judging by the sounds of the leaves rustling in the wind and the birds singing in the trees around her. She was surprised not to have been brought back to Caras Galadhon, and kept at the eastern border instead. It could only mean that Lothlorien was expecting another attack and that the Lords and Lady were staying with their troops, keeping her close to them until she was better.

She could hear voices on the same flet, and recognized the voices of her father and grandparents, Haldir and a few unknown voices, probably warriors judging by the subject of their conversation. She could hardly understand it, still feeble and confused, and only heard the words "Dol Guldur", "attack" and "Sauron".

Beside her was a steady throbbing, in perfect harmony with her own heartbeats. Glorfindel.

She went back to the assessment of her own situation. She felt no pain, certainly due to the potency of her father's pain draught. Her right arm was tightly bandaged. She could not move her legs. She lifted her left hand to touch her chest, feeling the heavy bandages that covered her entire torso. Her small movement got the attention of the elf near her.

Glorfindel took her left hand and brought it to his mouth. "My love, you are awake."

Elleniel opened her eyes. Her mate was a mess. He had dark shadows under his eyes, and his complexion was much paler than usual. His hair was disheveled and he had not even bothered to remove his battle uniform.

She tried to speak, but her mouth was too dry. Her father arrived with a small glass, and kneeling beside her, lifted her head to help her drink some water. She drank a little, and fell asleep right after.

"She is still extremely weak," Elrond noted. "Much more than I expected. The healing of Nazgul blade wounds are unpredictable."

"We cannot wait for her to be fully recovered, Elrond," Celeborn replied. "We need to march to Dol Guldur today."

"I know. Who will stay with her?" asked Elrond.

"We will need both our rings Nenya and Vilya," Galadriel said to Elrond, "we need you for this battle. We both feel that Sauron has fallen, that the One Ring has been destroyed. But evil still linger in Mirkwood. We need your help to destroy that fortress, and all the creatures that are still there."

The three elves looked at Glorfindel. He was in a pitiful state. He hardly slept, worrying for her night and day, unable to concentrate on anything else than her immobile body lying on this bedroll. He was by far in no state to participate in another battle.

"Glorfindel, you will stay here with Elleniel," Elrond decided. "Do not bring her to the city until she is able to sit for at least two hours in a row. That might only happen when we are back," he cautioned.

"Let's get everything ready then," Celeborn decided. He gave one last kiss to his sleeping granddaughter, and left the flet with Haldir and the other soldiers. Galadriel caressed Elleniel's raven hair and followed her husband, leaving Elrond behind with his son-in-law.

"Fear not, Glorfindel. No one has ever recovered from such injuries before, but I know she will survive. Her recovery period will be long and difficult, more so than you can think of. But she will eventually be her former self again. Try to enjoy this newfound calm while she is on bed rest!"

Glorfindel was not quite reassured by his Lord's words.

"Try to get some sleep," Elrond recommended. He seemed to hesitate before saying: "Renewing your bond could probably accelerate her recovery, but... I cannot imagine how you could achieve that without causing her further pain. Forget that last statement."

Elrond changed Elleniel's bandages one last time, indicating to Glorfindel what he should do when he would be away. Her chest wound was closed, the dark stitches made using Elrond's hair quite apparent on her skin. The scar was long, from her hip to the middle of her breasts, and the bruising that covered her entire torso was slowly turning greenish after the purple of the prior days.

"Glorfindel?" Elrond caught his captain's attention once more. "If I were to fall at Dol Guldur... Take good care of my daughters. Arwen is sick in Imladris, and although Elleniel's health is a priority, we should not forget our Evenstar. She is promised to Aragorn, and needs to journey to Minas Tirith for her binding with him."

"I will, my Lord. Rest assured that I will always take care of your family. This is the mission the Valar gave me when they sent me back to Middle Earth. I will also guide your sons as the new masters of Imladris."

"I am not so certain they should be, Glorfindel. Should I fall, the Council would decide, but I believe Elleniel would be best for that position."

He did not give Glorfindel any time to question him any further. He gave one last kiss to his daughter, and bowing his head to his son-in-law, left the flet to join the army who was about to march to Dol Guldur.

* * *

><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	10. Chapter 10 Recovery

_Thank you to american blood, Paperlantern86, Lady Minuialwen and Tinuviel of Lorien for their reviews. It is nice to know you enjoy my story!  
><em>

_Chapter 9 ended with:_

_He did not give Glorfindel any time to question him any further. He gave one last kiss to his daughter, and bowing his head to his son-in-law, left the flet to join the army who was about to march to Dol Guldur._

**Chapter 10 - Recovery**

"Glorfindel?" she whispered.

He immediately woke from his light sleep, still paying attention to his mate during his reverie. An instant later, he was sitting beside her, checking if she needed his help.

"Yes, beautiful?" he asked, caressing her cheek with his knuckle.

"I cannot... endure... the pain anymore..." she panted.

"Why did you not wake me before?" he chided, going through the bottles Lord Elrond had left for him. He soon found the medicine he was looking for and brought it back to her.

"No... not this one. Do not want... to sleep." Each time she had awaken in the past two days, Glorfindel had given her a sleeping draught. She was ready to face the reality. She wanted to know if Glorfindel had heard about the battle in Dol Guldur. She was worried for the safety of her father and grandparents.

Glorfindel went back to the table, and took another bottle. In truth, he had not expected Elleniel to want to remain awake for another few days. She had more endurance than her father had expected. He should have known better. He helped her drink the medicine, and she sighed in relief when she started feeling its effect a few minutes later.

"Why did you not wake me earlier?" he asked again.

"You were sleeping. You needed the rest. I know... what you did. The pain that you took from me on the battlefield."

"How do you know?" he asked, wondering who could have told her. He had not left her side since she had been carried away from the battlefield on a stretcher.

"I saw you." He rose an eyebrow. "I saw you... from up there. I was... on my way to the Halls... but my fëa could not leave. Something was keeping me close to my body..."

"Your father and grandmother. They kept your body artificially alive while Celeborn repaired some of the damage and I took some of the pain away from you."

"I see."

"You see? Am I crazy or do I hear regret in your voice?" he asked in disbelief.

She turned her head to look at him. "He was calling me."

"Who?"

"Namo."

"What did the Doomsman of the Valar wanted with you?"

"Can you not guess, Glorfindel?" He refused to answer. "It was my time, my love. My mission was over."

"Good. Now we can concentrate on being happy without worrying about Sauron and his Nazguls."

"You do not understand. The Valar wanted me back in the Halls of Waiting. You have all acted against the will of the Valar."

"I care not for their disapproval or anger. I was reborn to take care of Elrond's family. This is my mission. As far as I know, I am respecting my oath." He started caressing her hair, trying to reconnect with her. "Why are you not happy to be with me?" he whispered painfully.

"It was... so peaceful. And painless."

"The pain will recede. And your fëa will be at peace, Elleniel, this I promise you."

"Bring me back home."

Glorfindel was puzzled. Elleniel had never used that word. What place did she call home? Imladris? Valinor?

"Bring my to our guest talan, you dimwit," she chuckled, only to choke abruptly when the laughter movement caused her additional pain. He patiently waited for Elleniel to recover, caressing her hair to soothe her panic.

"See what happens when you insult me?" he said lightly, hiding his worry. "I am afraid your father did not want you to be moved to Caras Galadhon until you can sit for a few hours."

"Can you remember the last time I actually listened to my father's command?" she asked. "Please, Glorfindel. I want to be in our bed. It is much more comfortable. I am sure I will heal more quickly there."

"This is a fallacious argument. You will heal whether you are on this flet or in our bed."

"Yes, but I can bitch the whole time or be as sweet and quiet as a fawn. What is your pick?"

"I will not move you unless you take the sleeping draught. I do not want you to be awake while we bring you down the flet and carry you to the city."

"No. I want to see the forest. The trees will help me heal. Promise me you will not use your sleeping spell. I will see it coming."

"Fine. Maybe you can try to heal some of your wounds? It would decrease your pain when we move you."

"I would not know where to start. Although... my right knee feels weird. I do not think the bones are mending properly. Maybe I should..." she mumbled to herself as her hand started glowing.

Glorfindel hid his glee as he watched her touch her knee, starting a healing process she did not have the strength to hold. She lost consciousness, exhausted by the use of magic after less than a minute. Elleniel was so much like her brothers! He had spent centuries subtly laying traps in front of them, and was now very skilled in achieving his own goals with the twins. Elleniel was as easy to deceive!

Glorfindel called the warriors that had remained behind to protect them, and asked them to prepare the stretcher, as the Lothlorien princess was ready to be carried to her talan.

The first thing she saw when she woke was her smirking spouse. "You will pay for this, traitor!"

"You know your father will kill me once he finds out I did not follow his instructions?"

"You deserve his wrath if you are silly enough to tell him!"

* * *

><p>Six days later, the army was still not back in Lothlorien. Glorfindel was getting worried. If the battle had gone quickly, they would have been back the day before. It could mean that the elves had lost the battle or that the numerous injured elves were slowing down the return to the Golden Woods.<p>

And Elleniel was not getting any better! Glorfindel started pacing in their room, wondering when Lord Elrond would be back to take a look at her. She slept most of the time, some deep healing sleep that did not heal her at all! She still was in much pain when she was awake, and she avoided moving her legs or her chest. She could not eat, and even drinking was painful. But her physical weakness would not worry him so much if her mood was not so melancholic. He did not know if it was due to the pain, or to that incomprehensible longing that she had for the Halls of Mandos and the peacefulness she had felt when she had almost died.

He was mystified. Was his mate fading or were her injuries taking much longer than expected to heal? He had no healers to discuss her health with, they all had followed the army to Dol Guldur.

He remembered a comment Lord Elrond had said before leaving, about renewing their bond. He stopped in front of the bed, where Elleniel was still sleeping. She was lying on her back, in the position that was causing her the least pain. Her raven hair was spilling all over the pillow and her eyes were closed, sign her extreme fragility. The bed sheet covered her body, hiding the bandages that still covered her arm and legs. He had removed the bandages on her chest as changing them had caused her excruciating pain. She was the most beautiful elleth to him, despite her weight loss and the dark circles under her eyes. She was still a constant temptation to him, but in all honesty, he could not imagine a way to renew their bond without causing her more pain.

He had no choice. She was slowly dying in front of him, their bond damaged by her near-death experience. Making his decision, he prepared a double dose of Elrond's pain draught, using the last bottle that was left. He slowly sat beside her, caressing her hair to soothe her in her tormented sleep. She sighed softly and woke up, looking at him with confusion.

"Glorfindel?" she asked, wondering why he had woken her. She had long before renounced to being awake as the simple pain draught did not seem to be strong enough.

"Drink this," he said, insisting that she drank it until the last drop. He was actually playing his last card. He had no idea what would happen to his mate if he failed renewing their bond. Or more precisely, he knew exactly what would happen to her and he could not conceive it. Once she was done drinking, he put the glass back on the night table and lied beside her.

"You gave me more than usual," she whispered. "I will have no more until my father comes back."

"Do not worry about that. You are getting better every day," he lied.

"Liar," she softly replied. "You know I am not getting any better. I am not recovering, Glorfindel. Namo is still waiting for me. I can feel him around me."

"I cannot let him take you, my beloved!" he said with determination. "You will remain here with me! We will be happy together, have children one day. You will go to Valinor alive, when we are ready, and we will live with your family wherever we decide to settle. The Halls of Mandos are not for you, you hear me? I spent millennia there, and believe me, you would not like it. It's too quiet for someone like you."

He started trailing kisses on her neck, going up to her ear. She shuddered when he started licking the tip of her ear.

"What are you doing?"

"Claiming you. Lord Namo will not get you. Not today or any other day!"

"And just how do you think you will do that?" she asked with a point of sarcasm. She knew it would be next to impossible for him to make love to her.

"Trust me," he replied, resuming his kisses on her neck and shoulders. When he pulled the bed sheet from her upper body, she looked at her torso with a frown.

"How you can look at my injuries without disgust is beyond me." The scar tissue was large, red and very swollen, going from between her breast down to her hip. The bruises covering her entire torso were still greenish while they should have almost disappeared by then. The healing process seemed to have entirely stopped for Elleniel.

Glorfindel decided not to reply. She would not believe anything he would say. That her scar would eventually fade, and that her body, although slightly altered, would remain very close to its prior indisputable beauty. _And still beautiful she is_, he thought as he kissed her breasts.

He caressed her entire body with gentleness, his love for her obvious in his every touch. He insistently stroked the apex of her thighs, an area that was not wounded, and her body started responding to him. Her breathing accelerated, and she frowned in pain. The combination of pain in her chest and pleasure in her core was strange, but she let Glorfindel continue his ministrations until she felt her climax submerge her. She cried in pleasure and then in pain when her back arched, moving her broken ribs.

"I am sorry for the pain, but not for the pleasure," Glorfindel said with a satisfied smile.

Elleniel chuckled for the first time in days. "You are incorrigible. What are you doing?" she asked when he slowly moved her body on her uninjured left side.

"I told you I would claim you," he replied from behind her. "Worry not, you now know there will be more pleasure than pain." He carefully positioned her legs to allow him better access, and he slowly stroked her wet slit with the head of his elfhood, making her shudder in need. When he felt she was ready and eager for his loving, he gently entered her. Once sheathed, he simply snaked his arm around her hip and started caressing her bud with expertise. Her breathing picked up again, and she started making little movements around his length. She understood he could not thrust into her repetitively, but with his caresses and the small movements she was making around him, she was slowly but surely bringing herself on the brink of another orgasm. Glorfindel was holding to all his self-control not to take over, but he could feel his own pleasure grow even with her small movements. They had not made love in a long time and his body was aching for release!

He thoroughly licked the tip of her ear while his hand was still busy between her thighs. Elleniel climaxed first, and her cries of rapture made him dizzy. He kept stroking her while he was trying to reach his own pleasure, and she rode on a second wave of ecstasy right after the first one, and this time, her movements became uncontrolled, creating a friction that sent Glorfindel over the edge. They suddenly felt their bond grow stronger, and the flow of thoughts and feelings was reestablished between them. Glorfindel almost wept in relief when he felt Elleniel's love for him. Lately, he had frequently wondered if she had not preferred to die than to remain with him.

* * *

><p>Two days later, the Marchwarden Haldir entered Caras Galadhon with all his uninjured wardens transporting the injured ones on stretchers. The healers, including Lord Elrond, Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel, were walking between the stretchers, checking upon their patients who were at the end of their difficult journey.<p>

Standing on a flet, Glorfindel watched the scene with both relief and despair. Their return meant that the elves had been victorious at Dol Guldur. But the number of injured and dead elves was way beyond his expectations. He quickly counted at least 30 stretchers on which lay lifeless bodies, some of which wore the Imladris uniform. Some of his own warriors were dead or injured.

He ran down the stairs and quickly reached the lower level of the city. He started walking between the stretchers, paying his respect to the fallen, and comforting the warriors that needed his presence. He saw one of his lieutenants with a bloodied bandaged on his leg. He sat beside him, and started removing it to see the wound underneath.

"How do you feel, Maethon?" he asked him to keep his mind busy while he pressed the inflamed wound to remove some of the pus.

"I have been better, Captain. How is our Lady?" Glorfindel lifted his head to search for Lady Galadriel.

"She looks fine," he replied after having made sure that Galadriel was still taking care of the wounded.

"I meant our Lady Elleniel," Maethon specified.

Glorfindel looked at him in surprise. Before the last battle, Elleniel had been merely tolerated in Imladris. Everyone had frowned upon this warrior-witch who did not follow the rules. But the warriors of Imladris that had been present on the battlefield had been in first line to see her self-sacrifice, and how she had protected her loved ones from the Nazgul that was killing her. She had gained their respect and love the day she had almost died.

"I believe she will completely recover, but it will take time," he said with worry.

"And you seem well, Captain. If I may be blunt, you looked quite pitiful on that battlefield, when Lord Elrond was trying to save your wife. I can only imagine how it would feel if I were to lose my own mate!"

"It is... the most dreadful thing you can imagine," he replied, trying to hold in check the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him once more. He finished draining the wound, and washed it thoroughly.

"I guess I am lucky my wife is safe in Imladris instead to fighting Nazguls!" the lieutenant replied once his level of pain had come down.

"Where is my daughter?" Lord Elrond had suddenly appeared at their side. "Where is she?" he asked, watching around frantically for her.

"She is in our talan, my Lord."

Lord Celeborn, who had heard them, came closer. "How is she?"

"I was worried for many days. But her health started improving two days ago. But I know not if her recovery follows your expectations."

"If she is not walking with some help by now, her recovery is too slow," Celeborn supplied.

Both lords looked at Glorfindel, waiting for his answer.

"She does not walk. At all."

"She sits, at least?" Elrond asked, hopeful. Glorfindel's puzzled look was answer enough. She did not even sit in her bed.

"Her mood has improved greatly, at least. Two days ago, I was wondering if she was... fading. But I am sure she is not now!" he added quickly when he saw their horrified looks.

Elrond called a healer nearby and asked him to redo Maethon's bandage, and grabbing Glorfindel by the arm, he dragged him towards the talan he knew was occupied by his daughter and Glorfindel. Celeborn followed, catching his wife before she started taking care of another warden. When the four elves entered the talan, Elleniel was sleeping on a small bed located the balcony. She was covered with the warm blanket Glorfindel had put on her earlier, and despite the warmth of the sun, she was shivering. They took in her weakness, paleness and weight loss in one glance.

Galadriel knelt beside her granddaughter and gently touched her forehead. "She was fading," she realized. "She was fading, but somehow, the process was stopped!" Galadriel said, looking up at an uncomfortable Glorfindel.

"How did it happen?" asked his father-in-law.

"I... Well... We renewed... our bond."

"In her state?" cried the outraged father. "It must have been extremely painful for her! I specifically told you not to do it!"

"Elrond!" Celeborn thundered. "Glorfindel did the right thing! Without him, Elleniel would have faded by now, and we would be burying her with the other fallen warriors tomorrow."

"How painful was it for her?" Elrond asked.

"Do not answer that, Glorfindel!" Galadriel ordered. "Elrond, it is time for you to remember that Glorfindel is Elleniel's mate, and that he cares for her deeply. I am sure he was extremely gentle with her. And if I remember correctly, you attempted the same when Celebrian was found after her abduction and torture by the orcs. You stopped her fading, and she sailed to Valinor to recover. You have no lessons to give to Glorfindel in such matters!"

Elrond was finding it hard to let it go. Elleniel was his daughter, a daughter he had missed for centuries, and who was risking her life like many male warriors would not dare do. He had almost lost her on the battlefield, and now she was still suffering. How could Glorfindel have...

"She is strong, my Lord," Glorfindel stated, touching his arm to get his attention. "It was... beautiful. Our bond is stronger than ever."

"Alright," Elleniel's father whispered. "Bring her inside so we can examine her."

Glorfindel picked up Elleniel and carried her to their bed inside the talan. He stood back and left all the space beside the bed for her family. He listened intently to their conversation.

"Is she under a sleeping spell or is it a healing sleep?"

"Healing sleep, I think."

"She wears a robe, she probably cannot put on a night gown yet. Help me remove it."

The three healers stared at a naked Elleniel for a few seconds. Glorfindel had to fight the jealousy he felt, but could not suppress a growl. _The two males are healers and her family, _he reasoned with himself. Galadriel turned to him, reading his thoughts easily. _Do you wish to leave? s_he asked in his head. _No, I can manage, _he thought in reply.

Elrond and Celeborn had not even noticed the silent exchange.

"Her scar is still very swollen," Celeborn observed. "The bruises on her chest should be gone by now."

"They are yellowish now. Two days ago, before we...," he stopped, not wanting to talk about their lovemaking again, "two days ago, they were still green," supplied Glorfindel.

"Then there are some improvements," Elrond replied. "Why can she not sit yet?"

"I think the abdominal muscles have been damaged and she still has a hard time with the position."

"What about her legs?"

"She has not complained about them since the day she tried to magically heal her knee. It exhausted her completely, and I do not know if she had time to fix it completely or not."

Celeborn bent over his granddaughter and gently put his hands on both her knees. The hand on her right knee started to glow blue as he started mending the bone. His hands then moved to her ribs, where they stayed for a few minutes, still glowing blue. The bruises slowly started to vanish, and when they were gone, Celeborn removed his hand and sat on the bed, exhausted.

"I cannot do more for her, not for the next few days," he panted.

"That will help her greatly, my love," Galadriel told him. "She already breathes better, can you not hear it?"

They all listened to Elleniel's breathing, who was indeed less shallow than before.

"Thank you, my Lord, for making Elleniel more comfortable," Glorfindel told Celeborn.

"Glorfindel, this is the last time I want to repeat it. We are family now. Call me Celeborn!"

Glorfindel nodded. He still had difficulty calling the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien by their name.

A maid entered the talan, bringing food for them all. They sat on chairs around the bed and Celeborn described to Glorfindel how Galadriel had destroyed the fortress of Dol Guldur with the power of her ring. He also told of how King Thranduil and him had separated the Mirkwood forest between their realms, and how the southern part now belonged to Lothlorien and would be called East Lorien. The northern part had been renamed Eryn Lasgalen, the Wood of the Green Leaves.

Glorfindel listened distractedly, thinking about how Elleniel had told him they had upset the Valar by saving Elleniel on the battlefield.

"She told you that?" Galadriel asked him out loud. Would he ever get used to his thoughts being read by Lady Galadriel?

"Yes. She was upset too. For days, her thoughts were dark. She wanted to go with Namo, to his Halls and remain there in peace for centuries."

"She did not want to stay with you? With us?" asked Elrond, shaken.

"I believe Lord Namo's attraction was too great for her to remember our love. This is why I had to..." he stopped himself, not wanting to upset Elrond anymore than he already was.

"And after you renewed your bond, how was she?"

"She recalled how great our love is. She wants to remain with me. But her body is so weak, her recovery so slow, that I sometimes wonder if Namo is not still trying to get her fëa. Do you think we really acted against the will of the Valar and that they are angry?" he asked them.

"I cannot tell for sure," replied Celeborn.

"Do you think that even if she recovers... they will try to get her back?" Glorfindel asked, shaken with the thought that Elleniel could very well be facing deadly dangers at every corner until she ended up in the Halls of Mandos.

"I do not believe so," Galadriel replied. "We simply opened a new path for her. And I cannot believe that the Valar Oromë and Tulkas would allow Lord Namo to get Elleniel's fëa once we saved her!"

"I will not let him have my daughter," Elrond claimed. "Her recovery may be long, but I will save her, I swear it," he vowed to Glorfindel.

* * *

><p>Lord Celeborn was sparring with Haldir, with many wardens training around them. Although Sauron had been defeated, the warriors were still training to remain in shape, as their borders were still attacked by lost bands of orcs and men of the East.<p>

The lord was waiting for his granddaughter Arwen to arrive to Lothlorien with Elrond's counsellors. In Minas Tirith, Aragorn was waiting for his fiancée, and all her family would travel with her to the White City. _All of it?_ he wondered, knowing Elleniel still had not fully recovered from her injuries, even after two months. His Marchwarden noticed his distraction and stopped his attack.

"Are you well, my Lord?" Haldir asked.

Around them, the wardens stopped training, and Celeborn and Haldir turned to look at the people that had just arrived on the training grounds. They smiled when they saw Glorfindel, supporting Elleniel as she slowly walked towards her favorite seat, under the sunlight. The elleth was smiling to her mate as he was murmuring to her. Once she was settled on her long chair, she replied to the respectful bows of the warriors who were watching her. They resumed their training, except Celeborn who decided to join her. Glorfindel kissed her and went to spar with Haldir, who was now lacking a training partner.

Celeborn put his arm around Elleniel and pulled her to him, her head resting against his cheek. The areas where their naked skin touched was glowing like it always did when their magic was in direct contact. The Imladris warriors were no longer afraid to see this, and were watching the scene with great joy. Their Lady Elleniel was a warrior-witch, and they were grateful that their realm had been blessed with such a powerful Lady.

"Arwen will soon arrive," Celeborn told Elleniel.

"Yes. Later this evening, I think. They will sleep at the border, and make their way to the city at dawn tomorrow," Elleniel stated.

"You realize that I am expecting you to go with us to Minas Tirith?"

"I do not think I can ride yet."

"You can, if you ride with Glorfindel."

Elleniel laughed. "Are you out of your mind? I will not ride with an ellon like some weak female!"

"No one will think you are weak. Arwen would be hurt if you did not attend her wedding."

"I am not riding with Glorfindel!"

"Maybe you would prefer to ride with me?"

"I am not riding with Glorfindel, you or anyone else!" Elleniel answered, raising her voice.

Above her, Celeborn was silently laughing. Elleniel's combative spirit was back completely.

One week later, she was cursing herself as she rode Morarrna. Her legs were aching, and each step her mare was taking was sending waves of pain into all her bones. She was riding beside Arwen, whose constant chatting about Aragorn was making her dizzy and impatient. Her younger sister was so enthralled by her description of her wedding plans that she did not even realize that Elleniel was going through both mental and physical torture.

"I am sorry, Arwen, I need to go speak to someone," Elleniel said when Arwen paused to breathe. She slowed Morarrna and Arwen turned to Elrond and Galadriel to continue her conversation. Celeborn passed her, giving her an understanding smile, but did not discuss her current situation. She would ask for help when the pain would become unbearable.

When Asfaloth reached Morarrna, Glorfindel simply dragged her off her mare and sat Elleniel in front of him. His mate did not even protest. He made sure she was comfortable before continuing the ride.

Two weeks later, by mid-June, Arwen's escort was getting ready for another day of riding when they heard two galloping horses, approaching their camp. Immediately, all the warriors stood and encircled the Lords and Ladies they were guarding. But they dropped their stance when they recognized the twin sons of Lord Elrond.

"Elladan! Elrohir!" Arwen cried when she saw her brothers. They dismounted and embraced their younger sister with much affection. They were welcomed by their father and grandparents, before they turned around, looking for their other sister, hoping she had made the journey with the rest of the family. They saw her by the fire, frowning as she struggled to stand up without help. Glorfindel was beside her, ready to help if necessary. She walked slowly towards them, and only a push from Arwen made them move to close the distance between them.

"You have been injured!" cried Elrohir as he reached his triplet sister and carefully enclosed her into his embrace.

"And you are safe and sound!" she replied, caressing her brothers' faces with joy. "I cannot believe you have been to the Black Gates of Mordor to challenge Sauron! You fools!"

"I missed you," Elladan said, kissing her cheek. "What happened to you?"

"I fought with a Nazgul, nothing unusual," she replied. Glorfindel rolled his eyes. Elleniel did not fool her brothers. They could tell how serious her condition had been just by the protective looks everyone around them was throwing her. Not only their family, but also every singly warrior in their entourage.

"I am happy your mission is over," Elrohir said, releasing her so Elladan could hug her as well.

"It is not completely over," she replied. "But worry not," she added when she saw their expression, "the last part is much less dangerous."

The looks exchanged between Glorfindel and their sister gave them some comfort. Obviously, her mate knew what this was about, and did not seem to think her safety would be at risk.

They rode all day, Elleniel riding alone in the morning, and with Glorfindel in the afternoon, like they had been doing in the past few days. She enjoyed this closeness with her mate, his arm wrapped around her waist, her head against his powerful shoulder. He had a peculiar odor, one she had only smelled in Valinor, where he had been reborn in his second life. She was deeply inhaling his scent, her face against his neck, and was giving him kisses when no one around them watched. In response, his hand frequently traveled in inappropriate areas of her body, also when no one was watching. Elleniel cherished every minute of her afternoon rides.

At dusk, they reached Edoras, where Eomer, now King of Rohan, was waiting for them before making his way back to Minas Tirith to attend the wedding. He had come back to Edoras with his sister for the burial of King Theoden. The body of the king now rested beside his son Theodred, in the valley below the city.

The elves passed the main gate, and slowly made their way in the city while the crowd was watching them warily. King Eomer warmly welcomed the elves, standing at the bottom of the stairs leading to his palace. His sister Eowyn was standing beside him, ready to lead their guests to their rooms. A feast was ready to welcome Gondor's future queen.

Eomer was introduced to Arwen and Elrond while the rest of their escort was dismounting. The low murmurs of the crowd suddenly stopped. Eomer and Eowyn turned around to watch what had caused this heavy silence. A golden haired elf mounted on a magnificent white stallion was helping an elleth seated in front of him into the waiting arms of a regal elf standing beside the horse. The sight in itself would not have surprised anyone if both elves had not been glowing blue, even more shockingly now that the sun was down. Eomer immediately recognized Elleniel and Glorfindel, but not the impressive elf that was now holding the female in his arms. Eowyn beside him was as shocked as the rest of the crowd around them.

Seeing the attention they were drawing, Elleniel gathered her cloak around her and made sure she was not touching her grandfather's skin. The Imladris warriors encircled them as Glorfindel was dismounting and took his mate from Celeborn's arms. The elves watched the crowd with worry, wondering what these simple and superstitious mortals would do in front of this accidental display of elven magic.

Sensing the general tension, King Eomer walked to the group, and the circle of warriors opened before him.

"Lady Elleniel, Lord Glorfindel! I am honored by your visit. Do you need to see a healer?" he asked Elleniel.

"No, my Lord. Thank you for your concern, my family is taking care of me."

Glorfindel slowly put her on her feet, and Elleniel proceeded to introduce her grandparents to the King of Rohan. Eowyn, who had recovered her wits by then, walked to his brother and was introduced also.

"I would guess that you would like to rest in your room, Lady Elleniel," she said to the strange she-elf.

"Yes, Lady Eowyn, I would appreciate if you could lead us to our room."

Eowyn led them all to their rooms, her eyes never leaving these beautiful elves, especially not the ones that had magic humming around them.

"I knew I should never had come," Elleniel told Glorfindel as she was getting ready for bed. There was no way she would face the crowd again that night.

"It is like everywhere else, Elleniel, they will get used to you."

She snorted. "I had to almost die for the Imladris warriors to stop being scared of me. You think these mortals will in two days? No, they will not! I shall remain in our room until we leave."

"You would insult King Eomer and his sister, Elleniel. You can rest tonight, but tomorrow morning, you must join us for breakfast."

"Fine, I will go tomorrow morning. It is beyond my capabilities tonight. Go to the feast, Glorfindel. I will probably fall asleep in a flash."

When Glorfindel reached the Hall, he noticed the sudden relief of the Rohan people when they realized his mate would not attend. This did not bide well for the breakfast the next day, or even for the reaction of the people of Minas Tirith when Elleniel would reach the White City. Elleniel had been doing so well lately, and he worried that this would bring back her old habits of hiding from the people that were not her close family. As he ate, he wondered if Elleniel's family had noticed the reaction her presence had triggered. He could sense their tension, although it was well hidden from the men and women of Rohan.

When Elleniel entered the Hall the following morning, the crowd became silent, watching her with weariness. She sat between Glorfindel and Celeborn, facing her brothers. They were discussing the preparations to leave the next day. Nearby, Eowyn was inviting Arwen to ride beside her, so they could get better acquainted. Eowyn was betrothed to Lord Faramir, steward of Gondor, and would be seeing Arwen on a regular basis at the Minas Tirith court. Realizing she had forgotten to invite Arwen's sister to join them like a good hostess should do, Eowyn turned to Elleniel and asked her to join them.

Elleniel, who had been playing with her food, was stunned to receive the invitation. She felt Eowyn's secret hope that she would decline, and was not hurt by it. The King's sister had already shown more politeness than she had expected just by offering.

"Thank you, Lady Eowyn. But I usually ride with my husband in the afternoon."

"And could you not join us in the morning?" Eowyn asked again, ensuring that she would not be blamed by her brother Eomer for not insisting.

"She rides beside me in the morning," replied Celeborn with courtesy, to cut this meaningless exchange short. He distractedly put his hand on Elleniel's, generating the blue light that always appeared when they touched. Immediately, Eowyn's gaze was fixed on their hands. Elleniel quickly removed her hand from her grandfather's, and hid it under the table.

Galadriel rolled her eyes, wondering how Celeborn could have forgotten himself in such a way in front of the mortals. _Next time, sit beside me, _she chided in his head.

"Well, I really enjoyed the meal, Lady Eowyn. Please give my thanks to your cook," Galadriel said, standing up. "Elleniel, I would like to walk in the city. Would you please join me?"

Elleniel looked at her in dismay. Walk in the city? Was she mad? She could hardly walk without limping! She heard around her the whispers of the Rohirrim soldiers, relieved to see that the _witches_ were leaving the Hall. Witches. So they were afraid of her grandmother too? Why only the females? Why were they not afraid of her grandfather was beyond her! Celeborn smirked when he saw her expression.

"Are you coming, my darling?" insisted Galadriel a little too loud for the elven ears around the table.

"Of course," Elleniel replied as she stood from her seat. She gave Glorfindel a kiss, and then turned to Celeborn to give him a long, maximum glowing hug while he chuckled discreetly.

"Stop acting childishly! Do not shame your sister in front of the Gondor allies!" her father commanded in Sindarin.

"I did nothing to cause their fear and earn their disrespect, Ada," Elleniel replied in the same language, somewhat hurt that she was being blamed. Maybe she should not have hugged her grandfather. But she had not been able to resist the temptation to give them a little run for their money. "I realize that you are ashamed of me. May I suggest that next time, you only bring Arwen with you on your diplomatic missions? It is about time that you realize that I scare people, even when I do nothing to deserve it."

"Elleniel..." Elrond tried to interrupt.

"If you are looking for me, I will be hiding in our room. I should never have left it," she said in Sindarin to Glorfindel in particular. "I will no longer be insulted for the sake of not insulting our hosts."

The elleth left the room, arm in arm with Galadriel. In a show of support, Elladan and Elrohir followed them. The tension in the room dropped when the door closed behind them.

"I am sorry, Lord Elrond," King Eomer whispered. "I have met your daughter in Isengard, where I saw her deal with some dreadful magic from Sauron. I saw her in her weakest moment, and have learned not to be frightened by her. I am afraid I cannot say the same thing about my people."

"I am afraid there is no place in Middle Earth for her, Lord Eomer," Glorfindel replied, bowing politely to the king. "If you will excuse me, my wife needs me."

Sitting near them, Eowyn dropped her head in shame. She had fought the Witch-King of Angmar with the hobbit Merry, and there she was, being terrified by Lord Elrond's older daughter, who had also fought with many Nazguls. She promised herself she would make efforts to befriend the elleth. She did not know that Elleniel had no plan of letting anyone near her again.

Glorfindel watched his mate as she walked to Morarrna the following morning, fully armed and cloaked. No one could see her eyes. This was the warrior that had arrived in Middle Earth almost a year before. All the social progress she had made in the past months had vanished during a two days stay in Rohan.

When they reached Minas Tirith two weeks later, Elleniel was riding by herself, fully cloaked and hooded again. No one could tell that this warrior was in fact a fearsome warrior-witch. She let Arwen enjoy all the attention, standing aside with the other Imladris warriors.

She remained in her rooms most of the time, and when she attended her sister's wedding and coronation, most of the Gondorians discovered that their new queen also had a sister in the city. Elleniel carefully avoided touching her grandfather in public, and stayed with her mate and brothers most of the time, avoiding mixing with strangers. She remained aloof until she left the city with Glorfindel during the night, a few days after the wedding.

* * *

><p>They rode until they faced the battlefield in front of the former Black Gates of Mordor.<p>

"Everything is destroyed, as Elladan described. We will never find anything here."

"We have to, Glorfindel. The Valar do not want to leave any artifacts of the Nazguls in Middle Earth, to make sure no mortal will ever find them and use them with ill will."

"At least, the sword of the Witch-King is in Minas Tirith!"

"And how long did it take me to convince Aragorn to give it back to me for safekeeping? It is calling to him, Glorfindel. We need to find them all before they caused more damage. I have one Nazgul sword with me at all times, I have two in Imladris, Khamul's is in Caras Galadhon, and the Witch-King's is in our room in Minas Tirith. There are four here, Glorfindel. We need to find them all."

"Aragorn said that all the remaining Nazguls flew on their Fell Beasts when Sauron felt Frodo was wearing the ring in the center of Mount Doom. They did not have time to reach him, the ring and Gollum were destroyed too quickly in the fire of the mountain."

"Which means the Nazguls disappeared somewhere between the Black Gate and Mount Doom, but closer to the mountain, I would guess. Do you think the beasts disappeared too?"

"I do not think so. The beheaded body of the Witch-King's beast was still on the battlefield after the destruction of its master."

"Then, let search for their bodies. They will be bigger than the swords themselves!"

They searched for days in the land of ashes and rocks, where no life grew and ever would for centuries to come. Glorfindel was happy to have left their horses in the forests of Ithilien, as their mounts would have suffered from the heat of the sun, without any trees to protect them in Mordor. There was no water or food either, and their provisions were disappearing quickly.

"Maybe we should separate," she suggested one morning after a very uncomfortable night on the rocks. She had recovered from her battle injuries, but the lack of comfort was taking its toll on her.

"Separate?" asked Glorfindel in dismay.

His exclamation brought the first smile on her face in days. "Separate to search the swords, beloved," she specified with a snort. "You are stuck with me for an eternity. If you remember correctly, you had wished it in that pond, when we bound..."

"I perfectly remember that moment," he replied, somewhat surprised at his own reaction. He realized he still had not truly recovered from the brief period where she had wished to leave him for the peacefulness of the Halls of Mandos.

She felt his hurt, and put a comforting hand on his cheek. "I will not leave you, Glorfindel. If we can find these damned swords, we will bring them back to the Valar. And then, we can live in peace until the end of the world."

"You want to go to Valinor right away?" he asked. They had never really talked about what would happen after the end of the war. Her recovery had monopolized all their thoughts and actions.

"Is that not your wish, Glorfindel? I would have thought you would want to go back with your family. Are they not waiting for you in Valinor? And what about your friend Ecthelion? He might be reborn by now."

"The time of the elves is coming to an end. But we cannot leave Middle Earth without making sure we leave no trace behind us. We will soon become legend. And legend we should make sure we will remain. There is still so much to be done before we can depart forever."

Elleniel had never really thought about this. She had always assumed someone else like her father or grandfather would be taking care of such things.

"What is your wish, Elleniel? Are you in a hurry to go to Valinor?"

"No, not really. I will follow you wherever you go, my love. I will make your home mine. You know I have no attachments anywhere, whether in Middle Earth or in Valinor."

"Your grandmother has been hearing the call of the sea for many decades now, and she cannot resist it any longer. Your father wishes to be reunited with your mother. They will both sail as quickly as possible. Your brothers and grandfather wish to remain longer."

"Did they tell you how long?"

"Your brothers will not be able to witness the passing of Estel and Arwen. My guess is that they will sail within the next 25 years. Your grandfather is a totally different story. He will remain until Arwen passes. Legolas will do the same. He swore to remain in Middle Earth until Estel dies."

"Estel is from the line of Numenor. He will live a long life for a mortal."

"Yes."

"So you wish to stay here until they both pass away?" she asked, not quite able to believe her ears. "What would we do?"

"I would serve Imladris, as I have done in the past centuries. Many elves will remain behind and will need protection. There are still some orcs and wargs in Middle Earth. They need to be eradicated. And after father's departure, someone will have to keep Imladris under magical protection."

He looked at her pointedly. She sighed, understanding she would have to be the one protecting her father's realm until all the elves departed.

"And then," he continued once he saw her acceptance, "I would imagine Lothlorien will also need to be forever hidden from the mortals. Same for Thranduil's realm..."

"Are you seriously asking me to safe keep all the elven realms, cast an eternal spell to hide them one by one and then sail when the last elves leave Middle Earth?"

"Yes. What else could we do? Go to Valinor and die of boredom?"

"I need to think about it, Glorfindel."

"Take all your time, we have plenty on your hands."

"I will search on the West side on the volcano, you search on the North side. Maybe we will be more lucky."

"How much food do we have left?"

"Maybe another four days."

"Water?"

"We will have to be cautious. Maybe 5 days at the most."

They separated the food and water in equal portions. Elleniel watched Glorfindel as he started to walk to the northern side of the mountain. She shivered at the thought that she was alone in this destroyed land. She started climbing the western side of Mount Doom, lost in her thoughts about her future. Could she really remain behind for decades, protecting the elven realms with her grandfather? Be at her sister's bedside when she would die?

The climb was difficult. Her knees were aching, she was thirsty but could not drink. She had to save her water. She tried to imagine how Frodo and Sam had felt, terrified, alone, thirsty and hungry. The weight of the ring around Frodo's neck. The fear of being seen by Sauron's eye. The eye was gone, but everything else was the same. This land was sucking all hope and joy from her fëa. A foul smell reached her nostrils. A stench more horrible than burning orcs. She followed the smell and found the rotting carcasses of two Nazgul dragons.

Fortunately, the area had been spared from the lava flows. If the beasts had fallen dead right after the disappearance of the Nazguls, then the blades should be nearby. She searched around for a few minutes, and found a Nazgul sword not far from the carcasses. Screaming in victory, she lifted the blade above her head, and eventually attached it on her back. Finding the second one proved harder, but she eventually found it, stuck in the rocks. She tried to pull it out in vain for long minutes, before she decided to use her magic. She knew the usage of magic would weaken her, but she had no choice. She successfully removed it, and put it on her back also.

After many hours, Glorfindel also found one beast with a sword nearby. He lifted the sword, feeling the evil that remained inside. It was calling to him. Trying to lure him. Showing him the power he could hold if he used it against his enemies. Elleniel was right. These blades were evil and needed to be brought to Valinor and given to the Valar. He dropped the sword on the ground, deciding not to touch it himself. Elleniel seemed to be immune to the evil contained in the swords. Only her was able to use them for long periods of time. On the Lothlorien battlefield, Celeborn had eliminated the Nazgul and dropped the sword right after, horror easily readable on his face. Yes, he would wait for Elleniel to pick it up for him.

He called her through their bond, and sat on a rock, breathing by the mouth not to smell the rotting beast close by. Elleniel arrived five hours later, took the sword on the ground and put it on her back.

"Did you find any?" he asked her.

"Two. We are only missing one."

They found the hilt of the last sword nearby dried and black lava two days later. The blade itself, that had been on the way of a burning flow of lava, had melted.

"The evil is gone," mumbled Elleniel, putting the hilt of the last blade in her bag. "That is it," she said to her mate. "My mission is over. I only need to keep them safe until we sail."

"You are free."

"Yes."

"You think Mithrandir will release you from the Istar order?"

"No. Not before I bring back the swords to the Undying Lands. And certainly not if I am to be the last Istar in Middle Earth for decades."

"Do you mind?"

"Not really. If Mithrandir leaves with Radagast the Brown and the other Blue Istari, there will be no other Istar in Middle Earth to bother me."

"Saruman?"

"Mithrandir broke his staff. He is a defenseless human now. He cannot hurt me."

"Should we leave? We have merely enough water to drink before we reach Ithilien."

"Yes. Let's get out of this desolate land."

When they arrived in Minas Tirith a week later, they were dirty, exhausted, but happy. The people of Gondor watched them as they walked on the multiple levels of the city to reach the highest level where the royal guests were lodged. They met King Elessar and Mithrandir in their way to their rooms.

"Estel, would you please have someone send is a big chest in our rooms?"

"A chest? Does it require a lock?"

"It will not be necessary. I will seal it... magically."

"Does that mean that your mission is completed, Blue Istar?" asked Mithrandir, still Head of her order and the only one aware of the last part of her mission.

"Yes, Mithrandir. I have six with me here in Minas Tirith, and have hidden the last three in various locations. They will no longer be a threat."

"Good. You need to bring them all to Imladris and make sure no one but you will ever touch them."

"I will." Elleniel respectfully bowed to the wizard and the king, and walked away to her rooms, followed by Glorfindel.

"Elleniel?" the wizard called back. She turned to look at him. "The Valar are proud of you. And so am I. You have accomplished your mission beyond our expectations. All the people of Middle Earth will forever be grateful."

"All the people of Middle Earth?" she asked doubtfully. "Are you sure of that? You know I did not do this for their recognition. I would have wasted my time and efforts," she replied halfheartedly.

Glorfindel walked away and pulled her after him, not desiring to see the White Wizard darken her mood. They had been happy since they had left Mordor, and he wanted to remain as such. Her smiles had been scarce in the past months...

* * *

><p>AN: Well, this story is getting closer to its end... I have been quite inspired in the past 2 weeks, have have already written the last chapter and the epilogue. I just need to review them thoroughly before I post them, I promise I will not make you wait too long. Thank you for reviewing!


	11. Chapter 11 Departures

I would like to thank Berianireth of Lorien, Paperlanterns86, kaydub, Lady Minuialwen and Enchanted Authoress for their latest reviews.

I hope all my readers will enjoy chapter 11, full of sadness, but filled with joy also. The Fourth Age started 2 years after the end of the war of the ring.

_Chapter 10 ended with:_

_Glorfindel walked away and pulled her after him, not desiring to see the White Wizard darken her mood. They had been happy since they had left Mordor, and he wanted to remain as such. Her smiles had been scarce in the past months..._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11 – Departures<strong>

_Imladris, year 50 of the Fourth Age_

"Elleniel? Can we talk for a moment?"

Elleniel stopped reading the treaty that King Elessar had sent for her review, and smiled to her brother. "Of course, Elrohir. Please, have a seat!" She stood and got around her father's desk, which had been hers in the last 45 years, since the day Elrond had sailed and left Imladris in her capable hands. She sat on a couch beside the window, inviting her brother to do the same.

She waited for her brother to talk. Elrohir had not spent much time in Imladris in the past 50 years. He had kept traveling with Elladan and the Dunedain Rangers, still searching for the remaining bands of orcs and wargs and destroying them. After 50 years of this continued quest, the beasts were close to being completely eradicated from Middle Earth.

"What is the matter, brother?" she insisted when he remained silent. "Are you afraid to tell me that Elladan and you wish to sail soon?" She had sensed their longing for the Undying Lands and to be reunited with their parents long before. For at least 5 years, Elrohir had been tormented by the call of the sea. For Elladan, it had been slightly more recent.

"I should have known. You now shamelessly read everyone's thoughts, as easily as if we were verbally telling them to you."

"I cannot control that, Elrohir. But at least, I do not do anything with the information I gather in such a manner."

"I give you credit for that! Are you... disappointed?"

"No. Absolutely not. It is time for you to go. Ada and Naneth are waiting for you."

"They are waiting for you too."

"Perhaps... but they will have to wait a while longer. Estel and Arwen have not aged much in the last 50 years. I believe their son Eldarion will not become king anywhere soon!"

"You are still determined to remain here until they rest in peace?"

"More than ever. There is still so much to be done! King Thranduil wrote me a missive a few months ago. There are now less than a hundred elves in Mirkwood. They will probably sail within the next two years. He was asking me to go and cast a spell on their land, to ensure no mortal will ever find it."

"And Imladris?"

"I am certain that many warriors will want to depart with you. Most of the counsellors have already sailed with Ada. I will probably close Imladris after you leave."

"Where will you reside with Glorfindel?"

"With Grandfather, in South Lorien."

"You seem sure of this plan?"

"Yes. Celeborn, Glorfindel and I have been waiting for your decision for a while now. Although now that you have expressed the desire to go... I realize I will miss Imladris."

She stood and walked to the balcony, where he followed her.

"I will miss the sounds of the waterfalls. They have brought me such peace in the past decades. I have come to love this realm as my own."

"It is your own! You were born here! You have been ruling the Last Homely House for decades!"

She turned to him, and gently squeezed his hand. "Tell Ada I will take good care of Imladris, will you? No one will ever discover it and destroy its beauty."

"I will. I will miss you, Elleniel. Elladan too."

"Why is he not here with us?"

"He was afraid you would not react well."

She snorted. "Since we lost our connection, you both have been reading me very poorly, brother! Although you were reading me poorly also before my binding with Glorfindel!"

"It is out of love for you that we worry so much about you."

"I know," she replied, pulling her brother in an embrace. "I love you too."

They sailed three months later, bringing with them all the remaining staff of Imladris and many elven treasures to be given to Lord Elrond. Unexpectedly, many warriors had refused to sail, desiring to remain in Middle Earth to protect the Lady of Imladris and their captain. Elleniel and Glorfindel remained a few more months in Imladris with a group of 30 soldiers.

XX

They were standing in front of the Imladris gate, staring at their beloved realm, broken hearted. Elleniel, who had a lump in her throat, finally found the strength to whisper the first words of the concealing spell. She repeated the sentences over and over again, her voice growing louder, lifting her glowing hands towards the realm that had been a safe haven for many elves and mortals in the past millennia.

Suddenly, the Last Homely House, the stables, the waterfalls, everything disappeared from their view. The warriors gasped in surprise. They could not believe their eyes. Most of them realized they should have known their Lady had grown such powers in the last decades that this was no impossible task for her.

Since her fight with the Nazgul in Lothlorien, she had earned their respect. And when she had taken over the ruling of Imladris, their respect had turned into devotion and love. Their captain had bound with a most extraordinary elleth! They knew that the mortals were still afraid of the warrior-witch, especially when she traveled to Minas Tirith to visit her sister. But they were making sure she was shielded from their incivility.

"Well, now that we are homeless, I guess it is time to leave!" Glorfindel said to shake them from their stupor. A few dishearten laughters were heard, and then, they all mounted their steeds and left Imladris behind, going East by the Mountain Pass to reach East Lorien, where Lord Celeborn was waiting for them. In the two carts that carried their few possessions were three chests, slightly glowing. Many wondered what their Lady was bringing with her that required such measures of security, but then again, it was not up to them to question her.

They reached East Lorien after a month, after a pleasant journey in the mountains. None of them had ever been able to enjoy the beauties of Middle Earth as seen from the mountains, too weary had they always been about possible orc attacks. Middle Earth was now clearly a peaceful place to live in, and they would all miss it. Only the thought that the Undying Lands' scenery would be even more breathtaking to behold was abating their sadness at their soon departure.

Lord Celeborn had been living in East Lorien, the southern part of Greenwood, where the former fortress of Dol Guldur had been located. He had forsaken Lothlorien after Galadriel's departure, unable to live in the city where every talan, tree and hanging bridge reminded her to him. He too was in the company of a small number of his wardens. Haldir and his brothers had left with Galadriel at his request.

Their reunion had been joyful. Although they had been exchanging correspondence over the years, being with her grandfather pleased Elleniel beyond words. After all, he was her only kin left in Middle Earth. He led them to the guest talan where she would live for the next few months, until it was time to move on again. The time of the elves was getting closer to its end, as most who remained felt the irrepressible urge to sail West.

"King Thranduil is ready to depart," Celeborn informed them later than night around a campfire. Elleniel's grandfather now lived a simple life, no longer living as an elven Lord like before.

"So this is it? The end of Eryn Lasgalen?"

"Yes. He would very much like to have you hide his caverns and fortress from view. He asked me to convey the message that he will wait for you, but that you should not rush to his realm. He will await your readiness."

"I will go in the course of the month," she decided. Now that she was here, why would she make the king wait longer? After all, his wife was waiting for him in Valinor.

"But his son is still here," Celeborn said, having read her mind. "He is torn between the two."

"How is Legolas fairing? He has not written to me in years."

"He has many wood elves with him in Ithilien. The forest is now healed, and their task is coming to an end. Most of his followers will sail within a few years."

"Everywhere we look, elves are leaving Arda," commented Glorfindel, seated beside them. "It is difficult to watch them go..."

"Do you regret your decision to stay?" Celeborn asked.

"No. Many elves feel their tasks are done, but we do not," he replied, looking at his mate. "Elleniel will be one of the last ones to leave, and I will support her until then."

"I will remain with both of you, if you do not mind?"

"Dearada, of course you can stay with us! I would probably need your help in the future. Making Imladris disappear drained me for weeks. And to think I have to do it for Lothlorien, Eryn Lasgalen and East Lorien worries me."

"You forget Ithilien. You will have to hide the traces of the elves in the realm near Gondor too!"

XX

Celeborn had been able to cure the southern part of the forest that had been once called Mirkwood, and Thranduil had done the same for the northern part, but the middle section had been hurt by evil creatures for too long and had proven beyond healing. For centuries to come, travelers would feel the animosity of the trees and never venture in that section of the forest. For this reason, when they made the journey to Eryn Lasgalen, they traveled in the plains west of the forest.

The sight of Eryn Lasgalen's fortress in the rocks was impressive. The entrance looked like a multileveled stone castle, with balconies and open windows.

"I have never seen such a thing," Elleniel whispered. "I always wondered how wood elves could live in caves, but this? This is beautiful!"

"Wait until you see the interior," smiled Celeborn. "It is not at all dark and gloomy like you would expect. They have managed to bring sunlight inside through various holes and passages."

At the door of his fortress, the king was waiting for them.

"Welcome Celeborn, Glorfindel," he said to the ellyn that had traveled to his realm before. He then turned to Elleniel. He took in her appearance, her dark hair and stunning features, her strength, her warrior stance, the humming of power that surrounded her. The same power than Celeborn, he mused. He threw a sideway glance to his old friend Celeborn, who smiled with pride in return.

"My Lady Elleniel, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person. Although I must say, the praises were far from the truth," he said gallantly, kissing her hand. Glorfindel growled beside him, but the king disregarded him. The Balrog Slayer would benefit from being reminded once in a while that his mate was a treasure to protect. "I have heard so much about you that I almost feel like I have known you for years."

"Thank you for your kind words, my Lord. I have heard much about you too, some of which I hope was false," she pleasantly replied, reminding him that his sharp tongue, boiling-hot character and intolerance were well-known in Middle Earth. Glorfindel and Celeborn snorted in harmony.

"That was a long time ago," the king replied good-heartedly, "when worry about attacks on my realm was ever present. Now that peace reigns over Middle Earth, I have become... an angel of patience and love."

Celeborn guffawed and hit the king's shoulder like a bantering old friend. "You are making my day, Thranduil! I had not heard such lies since Elladan and Elrohir turned of age!"

They spent two weeks in Eryn Lasgalen, visiting the forest and exploring the various caves and rooms in Thranduil's fortress. Elleniel particularly enjoyed visiting the former suite of the prince, his childhood toys and weapons in a corner.

"Will you bring him a letter from me, Elleniel?" Thranduil asked one afternoon, as he had found her in Legolas' room. Elleniel had been going through some of his possessions, planning to bring some of them to Legolas when she would go to Ithilien. It would be too late for Legolas once she had cast her eternal spell.

"Of course, my Lord. We will probably move to Ithilien within the year. My grandfather cannot remain alone in East Lorien. His last wardens wish to sail."

"And the Imladris warriors do not wish to leave?"

"The ones that remained with us once my brothers sailed have sworn an oath to remain with me until I sail myself. But I had to promise that I would sail!"

"They doubted it?"

"It would seem I am... unpredictable," she replied with a smile, hiding well her tension. She had started to feel at home in Middle Earth in the past decades, and Valinor had not been a place of peace and joy for her.

"You will be happy there, Elleniel. With your mate and your family, your life in Valinor will be much different," the king said with surprising intuition about her concern. "Your parents and brothers are aching for your return, just like I will ache for the arrival of Legolas. Can you promise... can you promise that you will make sure that Legolas will sail?"

"I swear it, my Lord. I will not sail without Legolas. I will tie him to the mainmast of the ship if I need to."

"Thank you. Here, take this," he said, handing her a child bow and small wooden horses. "These were his most cherish possessions when he was thirty years old. Bring them back to him."

"Let's hope it will remind him of his family!"

Three weeks later, in the valley, Elleniel, Glorfindel and Celeborn parted from the king, his suite and the Lorien wardens. Eryn Lasgalen had now eternally disappeared from Middle Earth, and was now a legend. The three elves rode back with the Imladris warriors that had sworn to remain with them.

XX

_Ithilien, year 102 of the Fourth Age_

Another 50 years had passed, during which East Lorien had also been concealed. The remaining elves in Middle Earth were now very few, and all living in Ithilien, the realm of Prince Legolas. Other than the prince himself and his friend Gimli the dwarf, only Elleniel, Glorfindel, Celeborn and the thirty Imladris warriors had not sailed.

Arwen was visiting her sister frequently, as Elleniel did not like going to Minas Tirith. A century after the arrival of Queen Arwen, and following the departure of most elves, the people of Gondor had become suspicious of elves, and more particularly of the queen's warrior-witch sister. By then, both Arwen and Estel had aged, their face showing the lines of time and their hair turning grey. The sight was difficult to behold for Elleniel, since her own beauty was eternal and she felt guilty about it.

Once again, Arwen was in Ithilien, spending some alone time away from the Lords and Ladies of Minas Tirith. Only in the last elven realm could she be herself, without being afraid of showing too many elven traits.

Elleniel was brushing Arwen's hair, sighing when she saw even more grey than during her last visit.

"Do not feel guilty," Arwen told her at once. "It was my choice. I knew it would happen," the Evenstar said to Elleniel, caressing her perfect skin and raven hair. "You are so beautiful," she whispered. "So young."

"I am older than you, Arwen," Elleniel reminded her sister.

"Shut it! Let me do the talking!"

Elleniel was stunned by the unusually blunt reply of her sister.

"You are so young, Elleniel. Will you tell me why you have not made me an aunt yet?"

"An aunt?"

"Yes, an aunt! When you will give Glorfindel a child? Do you not think he has waited long enough?"

"What did he tell you?"

"Nothing, Glorfindel told me nothing! But you have been bound for a century now, and he never had an elfling in both his lives. I could read how he longed for an elfling when he played with Eldarion when he was younger."

Elleniel went to the balcony and watched the ellyn you were sparring on the training grounds. Despite the fact that these were times of peace, the warriors did not stop their training. She felt Arwen's presence behind her, obviously not being done with her conversation.

Glorfindel was sparring with Legolas, sword against twin elven blades. "Look at him, Elleniel. One of the most courageous elves in both Middle Earth and Valinor, a hero to all elvenkind. But he can also be the most tender of ellyn, as he has shown us all each time he is with you. Give him a child, sister! What are you waiting for?"

"I cannot."

"Why?"

"What if... the child has powers?"

"What about it?"

"I cannot give such a miserable existence to a child, Arwen. You know not what you are talking about."

"Would your child be separated from the family for a millenium? Would he be raised to become an Istar, without your love or Glorfindel's?"

"Never would we allow that to happen!"

"Then why do you hesitate? Your child might not even have powers! But if he does, he would have the childhood that our grandparents had, loved, trained to use magic by family and without receiving a dangerous mission."

"I am afraid I would not be a good mother."

"We are all afraid of that, Elleniel. You think I was a good mother from the moment Eldarion was born? I was not! I had never taken care of baby before the midwife put him in my arms. I did the best I could, and I managed. You will do no less."

Glorfindel felt his mate's eyes on him, and watched her as she stood on a balcony above the training ground. He felt a pang in his heart when he saw how Arwen had altered in the past years. Beside the queen, his mate stood, troubled. What had they been talking about? It was obvious that Arwen was insisting about something, and that Elleniel was vastly uncomfortable. He sent her a wave of reassurance through their bond, and he saw Elleniel's physical tension abate. She sent him a kiss, and he went back to his fight with Legolas while the ladies went back inside.

That very night, when Glorfindel was reading in bed, Elleniel sat on the chair of her dressing table, brushing her long hair.

"Glorfindel? I was wondering... Did you ever wish to have a child?" she whispered almost inaudibly.

Glorfindel dropped the book he was reading, both surprised and relieved. He had been waiting for her to bring up the subject, but the wait had lasted many decades longer than he had expected.

"Are you ready to have this conversation, my love?"

"Yes. I want to talk about it."

"Fine. Then yes, beloved, I will tell you that I would like to have a child from you. I wish to create a new life with you, a child that will carry both our bloods, an ellon or elleth that would be the symbol of our love."

"And what if... What if the child gets more than my blood in the mix?"

He understood the question she had not voiced. He had surmised that it was the reason of her lack of child desire. After the miserable childhood she had had, she probably could not envision what a happy childhood could be for an elven witch.

He moved on the bed, and grabbing her wrist, he pulled her to him. "My love, if our child is blessed with your magic, you will be the best person to raise him. And I will love him all the same. When I bound myself to you, I knew it was a possibility, one that does not scare me in the least. Come here," he said, lying her underneath him on the bed.

"We will talk about it later. I have something else in mind for now..." he continued, before voraciously pillaging her mouth and lifting her nightgown above her thighs.

XX

_Minas Tirith, year 119 of the Fourth Age_

The delegation of elves from Ithilien arrived on a cold morning of February. Everyone knew why they had come to Minas Tirith. Their beloved King Elessar was living his last days, after a long and peaceful reign. Queen Arwen's family was there to say their goodbyes and attend the coronation of Prince Eldarion.

The people of Gondor stopped dead on their tracks as the elves were slowly making their way to the highest level of Minas Tirith. The warrior-witch was being supported by her husband, the legendary elven warrior Glorfindel, as she was obviously pregnant. Behind them, the grandfather of their queen was holding the hand of a small raven haired elf girl, who was looking around in curiosity and asking questions in their language. Beside them, the elf Legolas, friend to their king and Prince of Ithilien, was answering her questions with kindness. Master Gimli was also with them. They were surrounded by fully armed elven warriors, that looked at the citizens of Minas Tirith with suspicion.

"Aunt Elleniel!" Eldarion welcomed her when they finally reached the royal palace. "I am very sorry that you had to travel at this stage of your pregnancy."

"Worry not, Eldarion. Whatever the timing, the passing of a beloved law-brother and king is always difficult. How is your father fairing?"

"He is very weak now, and sleeps most of the time. Mother is with him day and night, endangering her own health. I am worried for her too."

"Her mate is dying," Celeborn told his great-grandson. "For an elf, this is insurmountable. Be ready, Eldarion. You will lose both your parents within a short period of time," he gently warned.

"I felt it," he said with great sadness. Shaking himself, he spoke to his little cousin. "You have grown much since the last time I saw you, Maewen. You are tall for a 15 year-old elfling." He watched with wonder the little elleth, who was growing at elven pace. Elves were reaching their physical maturity at 50 years old, and his cousin looked like she was about a 6 year-old mortal girl. The elleth looked at him with wonder, not familiar with this older cousin she had met twice in her life.

Glorfindel pushed her towards him. "Mae govannen, cousin Eldarion," she shyly replied, before going back to her great-grandfather for protection. Maewen had been overprotected by the adults surrounding her, and was not used to meeting strangers. To Elleniel's relief, her daughter had not inherited her magic and was as normal an elfling as she could be.

"Can we go inside his room?" asked Elleniel, eager to see her sister and brother-in-law. Eldarion led them to the king's suite, and introduced them in his bedchamber, where Arwen was sitting, holding Elessar's hand. She stood when she saw her elven family and friends enter the room, and cried in her sister's arms for a long time.

When the king awoke a few hours later, he was surrounded by his wife and son, his wife's family and his last two friends from the fellowship. All the people that mattered to him, and that were still in Middle Earth. His last wish had been granted.

He exchanged a few words with each of them, sharing old memories and providing his last advices. He told them his goodbyes. It was a most sad but serene moment. The king was ready to depart, satisfied with what he had accomplished in his long life.

King Elessar died that night.

XX

The funerals of King Elessar had just ended. King Eldarion and Queen Arwen were slowly walking behind the wooden casket, which was being carried to the crypt, where it would be placed in an enormous granite coffin.

Arwen asked to remain alone in the crypt, and all the courtesans left to go back home, saddened to have lost the king whose reign had lasted longer than anyone could recall. But they knew they were in good hands with his son Eldarion, who was ready to rule with the wisdom he had already shown to his people and their allies.

The king's family remained near the crypt, waiting for Arwen to be done saying her last goodbyes to her husband.

"Your mother will be coming with us, Eldarion," Elleniel told her nephew.

"Why?"

"She wishes to end her days in Lothlorien. Celeborn and I will go with her."

"But you are pregnant! You cannot go there for that long!"

"Eldarion, your mother's fading has already started, can you not see it?" she asked with as much tact as she could. "All her strength is gone, she has lost her elven light. She will not last much longer."

"How long?"

"I would guess... two months. Maybe less."

"Can I go with you?"

"No. You must stay with your people. You must say farewell to us all, Eldarion. With your father's passing comes our time to leave Middle Earth."

"So soon?"

"I have not seen my father in more than a century, and grandfather as not seen grandmother for the same period of time. I also miss my brothers, who sailed many decades ago..."

"I want to see my parents," Legolas added.

"When will you be all leaving?"

"In a few days."

Arwen came out of the crypt, and Eldarion rushed to her side. He would spend as much time as he could with her before her departure.

"I want you to be back before you give birth, Elleniel," warned Glorfindel softly so Eldarion would not hear. "I do not want you to give birth in the woods, without me being near."

"I will be back," she whispered. "Make sure the ship is ready when we arrive in Ithilien."

"It is almost ready," Legolas said proudly.

"I hope it will not fall apart at sea," she jested. "After all, you have not been a shipwright for millennia like Lord Cirdan!"

"If it falls apart, I will split your head in two with my axe, princeling!" added Gimli grumpily.

XX

"Seeing Lothlorien like this is so sad," whispered Arwen as her grandfather was carrying her to the former royal talan.

_This whole trip is sad_, thought Elleniel as she followed her grandfather, climbing with care the stairs that had been damaged by time and the elements. Caras Galadhon had been abandoned more than a century before, and the vegetation and animals had taken possession of the elven city. Many suspended bridges had fallen, leaving entire areas unreachable for those who could not climb in the trees. Luckily for them, the royal talan was still in relative good condition, and Celeborn installed his exhausted granddaughter on a blanket on the floor. He went back to the stairs to help Elleniel who was struggling to reach the highest level.

"I should really have worked on that flying spell," she whined, holding her belly. She was now nine months pregnant, with only three to go before giving birth. Glorfindel had reluctantly let her go with her sister and grandfather, afraid that riding for weeks in her state would not be good for her health.

"If you fly one day, you will be recognized as the greatest witch ever born in both Middle Earth and Valinor, all races considered," he replied, supporting her weight.

"That is not enough incentive for such efforts," she smiled.

"What would be?"

"I would have you publicly kneel in front of me and recognize my superiority. Mithrandir would have to do it also. And then, you would..."

"Keep dreaming, sweetheart." They both laughed for the first time in weeks, relaxing after a difficult journey to Lothlorien. They stopped when they reached the royal talan, knowing they would face a dying Arwen once again. Elleniel stopped her grandfather before he entered, and hugged him as well as she could with her belly between them.

"It will be alright," she whispered.

"I know. Elleniel, you have to promise me. Whatever happens here has to remain between us. I do not want your parents or brothers to hear about this."

"What would you tell them?"

"That she passed away in her sleep, from old age and not due to her fading."

"Is it not the same?"

"Have you ever seen the fading of an elf, Elleniel?"

"No. But I almost faded myself years ago!"

"You only started the process, and your mate stopped it after a few days. Arwen is already beyond the stage you had reached, and without hope of seeing it stopped by anyone. You will see," he said with sadness, "it is a most terrible death. Her fëa slips our of her body slowly. The pain is excruciating."

They entered the talan, and went to the room where Arwen lay. The Queen of Gondor was now an old lady, her hair entirely white as snow. Elleniel sat beside her while their grandfather was preparing the talan for their stay.

Elleniel took Arwen's hand in hers. She studied the crooked fingers, the age spots and the dry skin. She brought the hand to her lips and kissed it tenderly.

"Are you in pain?" she whispered.

"Yes," was the weak response.

"Where? Maybe I can make it better."

"In my soul."

Elleniel did not reply anything. She could not cure her sister's fëa. She started crying in silence, and somehow, without opening her eyes, Arwen knew it.

"Do not cry, Elleniel. I had a good life. I spent 120 years with my beloved Estel. We did not waste a minute of it. And now I long to be with him once more. Do not cry."

"I wish you had fallen in love with an elf."

"My heart made the choice, not my intellect. I am happy for our parents that you fell in love with Glorfindel, and that he stopped you from choosing the path of Men."

Arwen stopped talking, exhausted, and fell asleep shortly after while crushing Elleniel's hand as she fought the pain.

"She will not last long," Celeborn said from behind Elleniel.

Three weeks later, Arwen was in constant torment, crying for Estel ceaselessly. She rarely emerged from her daze, and when she did, it was for short periods of time. Around midnight one evening, her breathing became erratic, and her cries of pain filled the talan and the heavy souls of her kin.

"I hate myself for thinking this, but I wish her fëa could be released so she can be in peace. She has been in such pain for weeks!" Elleniel cried.

"I do not believe she will last the night," Celeborn said, caressing Arwen's forehead.

An hour later, Arwen suddenly became quiet. She opened her eyes and looked at Celeborn and Elleniel.

"Tell Naneth and Ada that I love them," she said with a weak voice. "They have been wonderful parents."

"We will."

"Take care of our brothers, Elleniel. They never understood my choice."

"You can go in peace, Arwen. We will take care of everyone you love," Elleniel promised.

Arwen slowly lifted her hand and touched her sister's stomach. "He is coming." Her hand fell back on the bed, and Arwen drew a few laborious breaths before her chest became immobile.

The Evenstar had left Middle Earth.

XX

In Ithilien, Glorfindel felt the change in his mate's fëa.

"She is dead," he told Legolas and Gimli. Maewen was playing nearby, oblivious to the sadness of the moment. "I can feel that Elleniel is overcome by grief."

The ellyn prayed the Valar that Arwen's fëa would be in peace, wherever the mortals where going after their death.

XX

Celeborn had dug a hole to bury the body of his granddaughter while Elleniel was preparing the body.

She had washed her sister and dressed her in one of her dresses. She had braided her hair like Arwen used to before she had adopted the Gondorian hairstyles.

She stretched her body. Her back had been killing her for hours. She sighed and tried to massage her back muscles, when she felt her grandfather's hands on her shoulders.

"You should rest. You have overexerted yourself. Say farewell to your sister. I will bury her alone."

"Will you take me to visit her grave later?"

"Of course. Go to bed. We will be leaving for Ithilien once you will feel better."

Elleniel followed his advice, and went to lie down on her bedroll. She watched the stars for hours. Why was Celeborn taking so long? Her back pain was not abating. If anything, it was getting worse. Much worse. She eventually realized that the pain was coming back in waves. Her labor had started hours before. And she was weeks away from seeing her mate.

XX

"She is in pain," Glorfindel told his friends.

"Yes," acknowledged Gimli. "Lady Elleniel just lost her sister, Glorfindel."

"No! She is in physical pain! She is hurt!" Glorfindel cried as he jumped to his feet and started pacing the room.

"Did they get attacked?" Legolas asked.

"How would I know?" yelled Glorfindel. "Do I look like I am in Lothlorien?"

"Lord Glorfindel!" thundered Gimli. "Do not speak to us in such a way. Sit down, now!"

Maewen frowned at the dwarf. "No screaming, Ada and Uncle Gimli."

"I am sorry, sweetheart. Your Ada is anxious," the dwarf explained to the elleth.

"Can you not feel her emotions?" asked Legolas. "Concentrate on your bond!"

Glorfindel sat down and closed his eyes, his breathing erratic. He forced himself to breathe slowly, and tried to establish a clearer link with his mate.

"Is she panicking?" asked Legolas.

"No," Glorfindel frowned. "She is in pain... but she is calm. She knows that pain, she has felt it before, and compares it to prior experience. And she misses me. She is sad."

"I think we have our answer," Gimli said. When both ellyn looked at him in confusion, he rose his eyebrows. "What?"

"What answer do we have?" asked Legolas.

"Elleniel is giving birth, my friend. Glorfindel will soon be a father again!"

XX

"I cannot believe that in all those years, you never helped an elleth give birth!" Elleniel laughed, holding her newborn son in her arms. The little ellon was a smaller version of Glorfindel.

"I healed warriors!" her grandfather replied, laughing too. "Your timing could not be more awful."

"Speak to the little one! I am not the one who wanted to meet you too early." In fact, being two months premature, her son was quite small, and would require more frequent feedings than Maewen had. He had hardly enough strength to fill his little stomach when she nursed him.

"How will you call him?"

"Nameless."

"You surely are jesting! This is a name even more awful than Stockings for that black mare I had given you during your first visit to Lothlorien!"

"Morarrna."

"You will call your son Morarrna?" he asked in disbelief.

"My mare's true name was Morarrna, silly elf! I will not give a name to my son until we are reunited with Glorfindel. I want to choose a name with him."

"Then let us leave as soon as possible. When do you think you will have enough strength?"

"It depends if you want me to conceal Lothlorien."

"I think it would be preferable."

"Then give me a week. I will need more strength to cast this spell again."

"Fine. It will give us time to visit your sister's grave a few times. To say goodbye properly."

XX

"How is she?" asked Gimli to Glorfindel two weeks later. Everyone in Ithilien was keeping Glorfindel busy to make sure he would not jump on his white stallion, a descendant of Asfaloth's line, and journey to meet his mate.

"I feel her anxiousness. She seems to be tired also," the golden warrior explained, tormented not to be there to help his wife.

"They must be on their way back," Legolas assumed. "Do not worry, mellon, you know Lord Celeborn is there to protect her and take care of her. You have Maewen to take care of here."

They looked at the dark haired elleth who had the facial features of Lady Celebrian, her grandmother living in Valinor with her family. Maewen was busy carrying all her toys and possessions on the ship that was now completed and ready to sail at the elven dock on the River Anduin. The long and slender elven ship was made of light-colored wood, and contained a few cabins for the Lords and Ladies, and common cabins for the 30 warriors that had remained with them. The mainsail bore the colors of Imladris, while the foresail bore Ithilien's. Everyone who would see the ship would understand that the last elves from Imladris and Ithilien were sailing from Middle Earth.

Maewen came closer to her Ada. "Why are you bringing your stallion and I cannot bring my pony?" she asked for the hundredth time.

"Because your pony, like all the other horses we have, will be set free. My stallion is coming with us because he is of a lineage that needs to be perpetuated in Valinor."

"Maewen," Legolas continued, "even I do not bring my horse."

"It is not fair!" the elleth replied with a frown. Legolas looked at Glorfindel, silently letting him know there was enough room in the ship for a little pony. Glorfindel sighed. Legolas and Gimli could not resist giving Maewen everything she asked for. Nor could Celeborn and the guards. His daughter was going to be spoiled rotten by the time she reached her majority.

"You take care of everything. This will not be my problem," he decided.

"Thank you!" Maewen screamed, jumping in the arms of Legolas.

"Should we send a messenger to King Eldarion?" asked Gimli, wondering if they should let the new king of Gondor know of their departure.

"We said goodbye when we left Minas Tirith, Gimli," explained Glorfindel. "I do not think Elleniel can withstand another separation after Arwen's passing."

"He is right," Legolas agreed. "Our time in Middle Earth is over. We will not be going to Minas Tirith again. We should sail as soon as Elleniel and Celeborn arrive."

"And the baby!" added Maewen.

Two days later, in the afternoon, a guard sent a message that two riders could be seen at the horizon. Glorfindel jumped on his stallion and rode to meet them. As he was getting closer, he could see that Elleniel had a little bundle against her chest, held in place with a shawl. His newborn son or daughter.

Elleniel looked exhausted but was smiling with such happiness when their eyes met. He rode his horse right beside hers and enclosed her in his arms while giving her a tender kiss.

"Well met, Glorfindel," Celeborn said beside the ellon who was ignoring him. "Well, if you do not need me, I will go see my great-granddaughter." He left the couple to ride to the city where he knew he would be properly welcomed. He could not blame Glorfindel for ignoring him. He knew perfectly well he would ignore everyone for days the minute his eyes would lay on Galadriel. Just a few weeks and they would be reunited! His heart was singing like a young ellon who had just met the elleth he knew was his fëa-mate!

Glorfindel stopped kissing his mate, and dropped his gaze on the little shape against her chest. He saw a little perfect face, with small pointy ears and a golden fuzz on a perfectly shaped head.

"It is an ellon," Elleniel whispered not to wake up their son.

"You have done goo work again, beloved," Glorfindel replied, delighted to have a son. "Give him to me," he asked, eager to hold his newborn. Elleniel unwrapped the elfling, and when her hand touched his head, there was a little blue glow.

"Did I just see what I think I saw?" asked the proud father.

"Yes," whined Elleniel. "My grandfather is in heaven! He is proud to see that his magic will pass on in our line! In the meantime, if you think Maewen is spoiled, you have no idea what this one will make us go through!"

"How did you name him?" The ellon now held his son in his arms, amazed at how light and small he was.

"We have been calling him Nameless," she laughed. "I wanted to wait for you to make that decision. But we should name him before we reach the city. We cannot present him to our people without a proper name."

"What about Miwon – _tiny male_?" he asked.

"I hate it! He will not remain tiny all his life! One day, he will be as strong as you are!"

"Then, what about Belegon – _mighty male_?"

"Belegon Glorfindelion? Never! What about Minion – _first son_?"

"Nay. Rivalton – _golden crown_?"

"Rivalton. I like it. It rolls well on the tongue."

"Then Rivalton Glorfindelion you will be, my son," the warrior said, kissing tenderly the little head.

They rode slowly to the city where everyone was waiting to greet their Lady. All were delighted and excited. It meant they would sail the next day at dawn.

XX

"King Eldarion? I have been advised that a white ship is on the River Anduin, and should pass in front of Minas Tirith shortly."

"Perhaps a ship from Dol Amroth? the king asked, knowing the realm by the sea had numerous ships.

"No, the sails are not blue with a silver ship and a silver swan. The shape of the ship is also strange."

"What are the colors of the sails?"

"The smaller one seems to be bearing the colors of the elven Lord of Ithilien. And the mainsail is blue and grey."

"So they are leaving," the king whispered.

"Should we stop them, my Lord?"

"No. Grant them passage," Eldarion ordered, standing from his chair to leave his office. He walked to the tower, and climbed the stairs until he reached the highest window. Opening it, he watched the river and the ship that was now close to his city. He had inherited from his mother her elven sight, and could see the elves standing on the deck. He searched for the familiar figures of his family, and saw them as they were facing Minas Tirith, admiring the city for the last time.

He saw his aunt Elleniel, thin again, and knew she had given birth. He saw his uncle Glorfindel holding a small bundle, and his great-grandfather Celeborn holding the hand of his little cousin Maewen. Beside them were Prince Legolas and the dwarf Gimli. Eldarion wondered how could they know for sure that Gimli would be welcomed in Valinor? After all, elves and dwarves had hated each other for millennia!

He saw Elleniel look in his direction and lift her hand in farewell. Immediately after, all the elves were looking in his direction and were waving him goodbye. They had seen him at the top of the tower. He waved back, a lump in his throat. This was his last family leaving. He had no one else now. He remembered his father's advice on his deathbed. He would follow it and get married soon.

XX

The ship soon reached the Bay of Belfalas, and the elves saw nothing but the horizon in the West. They would reach the Undying Lands in a month.

* * *

><p><em>Do not miss the epilogue - I should post it shortly. Thank you for reviewing!<em>


	12. Epilogue

To Berianireth of Lorien, Paperlantern86, Enchanted Authoress and Lady Minuialwen: I hope you will like the epilogue of the story as much as you liked the other chapters!

To all my readers: it has been a pleasure to bring you this story. I will surely miss Elleniel and her brothers! I will from now on concentrate on my other story, The Prophecy and its sequel.

Thank you for your continuous support!

_Chapter 11 ended with:_

_The ship soon reached the Bay of Belfalas, and the elves saw nothing but the horizon in the West. They would reach the Undying Lands in a month._

**Epilogue**

A messenger was introduced in the family's private hall. Lord Elrond and his wife Lady Celebrian were breaking their fast with their sons and Elladan's mate, along with Lord Erestor and his family. A few other counsellors were also in attendance.

After having spent many millennia hearing daily the sounds of the waterfalls and birds, Lord Elrond had simply not been able to live in an established elven town of Valinor. He had found, south of the city of Valmar, a valley with waterfalls and a river, where some large trees were offering welcomed shade in the eternal summer of the Undying Lands. Most of the elves who had lived with him in Imladris had joined him, and together, they had built a new realm where Elrond's lordship was recognized by all.

Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrian were discussing their annual trip to Tirion, where Celebrian was planning to spend time with her many friends residing there. She also wanted to travel West and visit her mother, Lady Galadriel, who had taken residence in the forest of Lorien with many of her former Galadhrim.

Elladan's wife Caewil was with child and would not make the journey this time, and Elladan would remain with her. Elrohir, on the other hand, was planning to go with his parents. He had many female friends in Tirion who would not forgive him if he did not visit them every year. He also wanted to spend some time with Haldir and his brothers in Lorien.

"Is your message for Lord Elrond?" asked Lord Erestor to the messenger who was interrupting their meal.

"Yes, it is for Lord Elrond. From Lord Tulkas."

Silence fell on the room. Everyone looked at the messenger holding the parchment that bore the seal of the Vala Tulkas. Was it finally the announcement they all had been waiting for since their arrival in Valinor?

Lord Erestor took the parchment with a trembling hand and brought it to his lord. Elrond held the message for a long time before he found the courage to break the seal. Everyone around him was watching with growing agitation. The letter was succinct, and Elrond was done reading it within a few seconds. He neatly folded it, and put it on the table beside his plate.

"What does it say?" asked his wife, now hoping it was no sad news.

"Lord Tulkas is informing us that loved ones will be arriving at the port of Alqualondë in a week from today."

"Why is Lord Tulkas not divulging the names of the travelers?" asked Lady Celebrian. "Could it be my father Celeborn coming alone without our daughter?" she asked with worry.

"The letter says loved ones," reminded Erestor. "There is more than one elf coming on this ship."

"Did Lord Tulkas mention the names of the elves that will be arriving? Is my sister Elleniel on that ship?" asked Elrohir the messenger.

"I am sorry, Lord Elrohir. Lord Tulkas did not. But Lord Oromë did mention there would be quite a few warriors on that ship, a few lords... and an Istar?"

"By the love of the Valar, she is coming!" screamed Lady Celebrian, throwing herself in her husband's arms. The couple cried in relief, murmuring words of love and joy to each other.

Elladan punched his brother on the shoulder. "And all this time, you were thinking she would remain in Middle Earth!"

A week later, Elrond's entire family arrived to the main dock of the port of Alqualondë. They had made sure to arrive at sun rise to have the best place on the quay, but were surprised to see a Greenwood delegation was already there.

"Thranduil, I see that you also have received great news!" Elrond told his friend.

"This is one of the happiest days of my life!" the queen of Mirkwood said with growing excitement to Celebrian. "I have not seen my son since my first life!" The queen had been killed by a spider during a journey between Lothlorien and Mirkwood when Legolas was still an elfling. She had been reborn in Valinor centuries after, and had patiently waited for her husband and son to join her. Thranduil had done so many decades before, but their son Legolas had remained in Ithilien until today.

Moments later, Lady Galadriel arrived with her Marchwarden Haldir.

"Naneth, I was starting to wonder if you would be late!" Celebrian told her mother when she stood beside them.

"I would never be late for the arrival of my husband!" Galadriel chided with a smile.

The Lady of Lorien looked around her, seeing many Imladris families standing behind their Lord, waiting for the warriors that had dutifully decided to remain behind to protect their Lord's daughter. Not far away from them, she saw Lord Ecthelion, the Gondolin Lord of the Fountain, and his wife. She waved to him and the couple joined them on the dock.

"Lord Ecthelion, I see you also have been summoned. Are you waiting for relatives?"

"No, Lady Galadriel. All my family has been in Valinor for many centuries. I assume I was summoned to witness the arrival of Glorfindel. I was told he bound himself to your granddaughter."

"Yes. They are a most amazing warrior couple."

"The Lord of the Golden Flower used to like quiet ellith," the Lady of the Fountain said. "It will be most strange to see him bound to a warrior."

"A warrior-witch," interrupted Elrohir to vex her even more.

Galadriel pinched him discreetly. "Behave!" she whispered to her grandson.

The elves around them were startled to see the Valar Tulkas and Oromë make their way on the quay, followed by all the Istari wizards. Mithrandir the White, Radagast the Brown and the Blue Istari Alatar and Pallando were fully cloaked and no one could see their faces. The group settled far from the other elves, waiting for the ship to arrive like the everyone else.

Elrond's family knew why they were here. The last member of the Istar order was to arrive today. Would they take her with them, or let Elleniel live with her family? When Elrond looked at his wife, he saw the same worry in her eyes. He had no words of comfort for her.

"Look!" screamed a young elfling nearby, pointing at the horizon. A white ship could be seen, bearing the colors of Imladris and Ithilien. The ship moved swiftly between the rocks, and slowed down to make its way between the ships that were already docked. A gangway was installed by the elves of Alqualondë.

Prince Legolas was the first one to jump off the ship, and ran to his parents who welcomed him with screams of joy and kisses. He was soon swallowed by the Greenwood delegation.

Lord Celeborn was next to walk on the gangway, holding the hand of a young raven haired elleth who looked like a smaller version of Lady Celebrian.

"Oh Valar," whispered the Lady of Imladris. "Elleniel has a daughter!" Lady Galadriel ran to her mate when he touched the ground and they kissed and held each other for a long time. Glorfindel, who had followed Celeborn with his son in his arm, grabbed Maewen's hand from Celeborn's and pulled her to see the rest of the family.

"My Lord, my Lady," he said, bowing respectfully to them before he was kissed without formality by his mother-in-law.

"Stop this bowing at once, Glorfindel! We are family! Now, introduce me to my grandchildren!"

"This young lady is Maewen, and this is our little wizard, Rivalton," he said before both children were removed from his grasp and held by joyful family members.

"It is about time that you show up!" a voice behind him said with mild annoyance. Glorfindel recognized the voice of his Gondolin childhood friend.

"Ecthelion! I have hoped for centuries that you would be allowed to be reborn! I see my prayers have been answered," he said, taking his friend in a brotherly embrace.

"Well, the Valar did not give me a special mission, so I was reborn way after your rebirth and departure for Middle Earth. You remember my wife, without a doubt!"

"Of course, how could I have forgotten her! How are you fairing, Menedhil?"

"Very well, Glorfindel. Although I must admit it is strange to see you with wife and children. I never thought you would settle down. Not you!"

"No ordinary elleth could bring me to marriage," he laughed in agreement. "I waited a long time for her to appear in my life."

"Where is my daughter?" asked Elrond, worried since his daughter had not appeared yet.

"She is getting everything ready," replied Celeborn, who had finally joined them with his wife.

Gimli had paid his respects to Lord Elrond and his family and was now being introduced to Legolas' mother. Around them, joyful cries were heard each time a new warrior was meeting his family.

Silence fell on the dock when a tall, fully cloaked Blue Istar appeared on the gangway, followed by six elves carrying three heavy chests, glowing blue. The group made their way to where Lord Tulkas and Lord Oromë were standing with the other wizards.

"Who is this?" murmured Menedhil.

"Nana," said Maewen with pride.

"This is your wife?" asked Ecthelion, surprised. If this wizard was an elleth, she was the tallest one he had ever met. As tall as the Imladris twin, he noticed. He could not see her face, only long black hair coming out of the blue hood.

The Blue Istar bowed to the Valar, and went down on one knee.

"I have completed my mission, my Lords," the wizard said with a strong and confident but definitely female voice. "These are the weapons you asked me to bring back. No one has touched them since the end of the war. But I can still feel their evil. They need to be destroyed quickly."

"Aulë will take care of them," Lord Oromë decided, knowing the Smith Vala would know how to destroy the content of the chests.

"Elleniel, you have made the Valar proud," the Vala Tulkas said, pulling her up and hugging her quickly. "The centuries we spent together training you were not in vain!"

The elves on the dock were in shock. It was unprecedented to see a Vala show such affection for an elf. Their surprise was even greater when Lord Oromë did the same.

"You have well learned your lessons, my child. I am glad that you survived your mission. It caused much friction with our brother Namo."

"I am grateful that I was allowed to remain in Middle Earth, my Lord. I know Lord Namo had decided to call me to his Halls during the war."

During this conversation, the Istari had tried to open the chests, but they could not break the spell.

Mithrandir turned to Elleniel. "My child, would you please remove the spell? I wish to see what you brought back."

The witnesses were amazed to see even the White Istar could not open the chests. With one wave of her hand, the chests stopped glowing, and the wizards peeked at the contents.

"They all are here," confirmed Mithrandir to the Valar.

"Good, please bring them to Aulë," Lord Tulkas commanded. "My child, you are released from the Istar order. May you live in peace and forget everything you have suffered during your mission."

"Thank you, my Lord." Elleniel watched them leave the dock without moving, uncertain if one of the Valar would not turn around and ask her to follow them. When they had disappeared with the wizards and the chests, she finally turned around and walked to her family, still hooded.

"None of this here, my child," Elrond chided, slowly removing her hood to reveal her face to the people around. There were some whispers from those who had never met the stunning witch.

"I have missed you," he whispered, kissing her forehead and caressing her face, getting familiar with her once again.

"I missed you too, Ada, although I am not sure you will believe me."

"I have always known of your love for me, Elleniel, even when you professed to hate me!"

"No! You did not tell your Ada that you hated him!" playfully scowled Celebrian, who had found back her sense of humor when her mate had arrived in Middle Earth.

"She even called me orc dropping once!" whined Elrohir.

"You deserved it!" Elleniel replied, giving her mother a heartfelt hug.

The triplets watched each other for a few seconds before they fell into a common embrace. They whispered to each other for a long time, too low for their family to hear what they were saying. But it was obvious that they were happy to finally be reunited in circumstances that would allow their relationship to start all over again, in a much more peaceful manner now that Elladan had bound himself to an elleth. The fëa they had painfully shared was now completely severed, and they no longer felt the torment of being incomplete.

When they were done, Elleniel greeted the rest of the family and their friends, and was introduced to her new sister-in-law and Glorfindel's friend Ecthelion and his wife.

"It is nice to finally meet you, Lord Ecthelion. I have heard so much about you and your courageous fight against Balrogs during the fall of Gondolin."

"Yes, Glorfindel and I are sharing many difficult memories," the Lord of the Fountain replied darkly.

"Wait until you see my Balrog horn!" Glorfindel said with pride.

"I cannot believe you brought it here with you!" Celeborn sighed. "And to think I was to one who had to carry it on the back of an eagle!"

They all watched when Glorfindel's white stallion was off-loaded, along with Maewen's pony.

"Well, we have everything," the golden Lord said. "Where are we going?"

"We have taken a few rooms in a nearby inn. My realm is two days south-west from here," replied Elrond. "Let's go to the inn. We have so much to talk about," he said, offering her son to Elleniel.

She backed away slightly. "No, Ada, I cannot take him in my arms in public. Only in front of our people do I touch him," she whispered to explain her reaction.

Understanding what happened when the mother touched her son, Lord Elrond decided to make a stand in front of the elves of Valinor. Word would quickly spread, and anyone not living up to his standards would no longer be welcome in his realm. They would all protect Elleniel from the frowning and unhealthy curiosity her presence usually attracted amongst the elves.

He put his grandson in Elleniel's arms, and watched in fascination as the baby started glowing where their skin touched. Rivalton opened his eyes, feeling the contact with his naneth, and gave her a toothless smile. Glorfindel snaked an arm around her waist, and people saw that under her cloak, she was wearing a short tunic and leggings instead of a dress. There were some stunned whispers on the dock.

Elrond also put an arm around her waist, and the entire family came closer to Elleniel in a display of support and determination. The message was clear and understood for what it was meant to be. The Greenwood elves, led by King Thranduil and Prince Legolas, joined the Imladris people to invite them for dinner in the evening.

Lord Ecthelion eyed his wife, silently asking her to make an effort to be open-minded. They both had missed the Lord of the Golden Flower, and did not want to have a strained relationship with him. Glorfindel had fallen in love and bound himself to a female warrior with magical powers like Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. She had given him a wizard son. Quite frankly, if Glorfindel could live with this, so could they. Menedhil nodded to her husband. They were in agreement.

The other elves on the dock politely bowed to the noble families and left the dock to go back to their homes. Word would soon spread that Lord Elrond would not tolerate disrespectful behaviors towards his beloved daughter.

* * *

><p>"How did Arwen die?" asked Celebrian Elleniel that night. Elleniel, who was nursing Rivalton in front of the fire, did not lift her eyes from her son.<p>

"She died a mortal's death, in her sleep," she replied softly.

"She did not suffer?" asked Elrond.

"No," replied Celeborn. "There was no pain. I was there too. She passed away in her sleep, her soul in peace." Beside him, Galadriel read the minds of her mate and Elleniel, and saw a whole different story. Arwen had faded, the worst death for an elf, and had greatly suffered. But she could see why Elleniel and Celeborn were trying to conceal this painful knowledge to the family.

Elrond had seen how Galadriel had closed her eyes and knew she was envisioning Arwen's death from their memories. When she opened her eyes, she smiled to Elrond and Celebrian. "She died peacefully, happy to join Estel wherever his soul was."

Everyone in the room sighed in relief. They could go on with their lives. Only the wizards of the family would really know what had truly happened to their Evenstar.

* * *

><p>The three friends were sitting on a bench in the inn's garden. It had a great view on the port of Alqualondë, where fishing boats were coming back to the docks.<p>

"What are you two planning to do?" Glorfindel asked Legolas and Gimli.

"My parents are expecting us to live with them in their realm. Most of the Ithilien elves are now with them. It will be strange not to be lords of our own realm anymore, will it not?"

"And it will be strange not to live with you and Celeborn," commented Glorfindel. "Maewen and Elleniel will miss you greatly."

"And we will miss them," Gimli replied grimly. Legolas could only agree with the dwarf. The idea of living without Elleniel and Maewen felt worse than strange. It felt wrong. His intuition was telling him that this was the wrong choice to make. But what could they do?

Glorfindel stared pensively at the sea. They would leave Alqualondë the next day, their ways separating for good. "Elleniel will miss our quiet life in Ithilien," he darkly said.

"What are you worried about?" Gimli asked.

"Elleniel has never been happy in populous realms and cities. She was in peace in Imladris when almost all its citizens had sailed, but she really only bloomed in Ithilien, living with a small amount of people she had grown to trust and love."

"She loves many people here, Glorfindel." Legolas was trying to understand what Glorfindel was concerned about.

"I know. For you, there is only one choice. But for us, the choice of the realm we will be living in will not be easy to make. Elleniel would probably like living with Celeborn and Lady Galadriel, in their new Lorien realm. There, she could teach magic to Rivalton with the help of her grandparents. But she will probably feel obligated to live with her brothers and parents, although it will be crowded there. And I am not sure she will appreciate the sudden lack of freedom..."

"Are you still bound to your oath to serve the Peredhil family?" asked Gimli.

"If you mean to ask if I need to remain with Lord Elrond, no, it is not the case."

"You could live alternatively in both realms, Glorfindel," the dwarf suggested. He understood the ellon was trying to find what would be best for his little family, but after all, each realm was only separated by a few days of travel.

"And my children would have no specific place to call home? I might not be the most experienced Ada, but one thing I know for sure: elflings need stability. We will have to make a decision, and soon before we raise people's expectations."

All this time, Legolas had remained silent, wondering if he should propose the idea he had been contemplating during their journey to Valinor. He had issues about returning to his father's realm like a dutiful son. He had admitted to himself that he was lacking the desire to do so, now that he had tasted the freedom of making his own decisions.

"And what if... we founded another realm, similar to the one we had in Ithilien?"

"For what purpose?" asked Gimli.

"To be free, Gimli! Follow our own rules, be amongst close friends, without worrying about what the other elves think! I know you are worried about their judgments about your presence here, Gimli!"

"We could be with Maewen and Rivalton..." Gimli dreamed. He was very attached to Elleniel's children.

"Elleniel's parents will not like the idea." Glorfindel did not want to raise Elrond's ire.

"And you think mine will appreciate the idea?" Legolas snorted. "But I really think it is the best solution. Your children would have a place to call home, and would be visiting their grandparents and uncles regularly. Elleniel would be happy, Glorfindel. Like when she was in Ithilien. Please do not discard the idea. Talk to her about it."

"I am all for it," Gimli decided.

"I will speak to her," Glorfindel promised.

"When?" insisted Legolas.

"Soon."

"Do it very soon, my friend. Otherwise, you know Lord Elrond will have a new house built for you within the next two months, and you will feel too guilty to leave after. In fact, the minute he starts to build that house, Elleniel will stay with him, even if it goes against her wishes."

"Stop being pushy. That is a side of you I would not miss," Glorfindel jested.

They soon heard a little voice calling for them.

"Ada! Uncle Gimli! Legolas!" Maewen was running towards them. "Nana says it is mealtime."

The ellyn, the dwarf and the elfling went back to the inn, where Elleniel was waiting for them in the main room. She was sitting in front of a feast of cold meat, bread, vegetables and fruits.

"You are alone?" Glorfindel asked, surprised.

"It is way past mealtime! Rivalton is asleep and everyone else ate and left to get ready for tomorrow. Maewen and I were waiting for you. This will be our last meal together," she replied with sadness.

"I would like to talk to you about this last meal together idea," Legolas told Elleniel while grinning to Glorfindel.

The lord rolled his eyes. "I thought I was the one who was supposed to introduce the idea later on."

Elleniel was studying them with a frown, her eyes going from one ellon to the other. She opened her mouth to say something but eventually closed it, speechless.

Gimli guffawed. "You two had forgotten that she can read your silly elven minds?"

"So... What do you think?" Glorfindel asked, ready to submit to her decision. After all, he knew he could be happy anywhere. She could not. The verdict was really up to her.

"My parents and brothers will hate the idea. They will fight it most forcefully."

"Do you need their permission?" challenged Legolas.

"Watch your words, mellon!" Glorfindel said, raising his voice. He felt the comment was disrespectful to his wife. Elleniel calmed him with a gentle hand on his forearm.

"Why, Legolas? Why do you not want to live in your father's realm?"

"We are not elflings anymore. We have tasted the freedom of being without lords. The three of us are free elves, now, Elleniel. And Gimli would feel much better in that kind of environment. With friends, away from elves who would treat him with curiosity or contempt."

"I can see how this arrangement could work for Gimli, for my children and myself. But Legolas, it surprises me of you. You have always been with your father in Mirkwood. You never said anything that hinted that you have been unhappy there. Your father will not understand. And your mother will be hurt."

Legolas had nothing to answer to that. Once again, he was just following his intuition. A century ago, his intuition had told him to promise Elessar to remain in Ithilien until he passed away. He had never regretted that choice. It had been his destiny.

Elleniel suddenly caught his hand, and looked at him in the eyes with concentration. For the first time, Legolas felt her invasion of his thoughts. Not the slight reading she had been doing without realizing for many decades, no, this time, it was a thorough search deep in his fëa. He could not read the emotions on her face, so he was surprised when she gasped and released his hand as if it had burnt her.

"What?" asked Glorfindel. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing," Elleniel lied. "Let's eat. I am starving. Rivalton did not give me a minute to break my fast yet today," she said lightly.

"What is your decision?" asked Legolas, puzzled.

"Where do you want our realm to be?" she asked in reply.

Gimli let out a cry of victory, and pulled Maewen closer to him on the bench.

When Lord Elrond entered the main room later on and their conversation stopped, he knew the group was up to something. Something he would not like, if he could judge by the guilty frowns of his daughter and son-in-law.

* * *

><p><em>Year 121 of the Fourth Age<em>

Maewen's horse was galloping in front of Elleniel. The elleth admired her daughter's ability to ride at such a young age. Her pony, which had been brought from Middle Earth at her insistence and with Legolas' support, was now a retired pony, as Elleniel liked to regularly remind the prince. It had not stopped the ellon and the dwarf from spoiling Maewen at every possible occasion.

"Slow down, Maewen, we are almost there!" she called to her daughter. She secured Rivalton against her. She was riding with her 18 months old son in front of her. They were on their way to their new home. A year before, Lord Oromë had agreed to the creation of this new realm, in exchange for Elleniel's services to the Valar and Legolas' contribution to the fellowship's success. Glorfindel, Legolas, Gimli and many other ellyn from Ithilien and Imladris had participated in the construction of the various homes on the ground and telain in the trees. Many ellith had joined their mates as the houses were being built, and the population of Leithalond – _the free haven_ as Legolas had called it to tease his father – was now comprised of a hundred elves. More people than anticipated had decided to follow the Lady and two Lords that were recognized as the rulers of this small and informal realm.

In the past year, Elleniel and her children had visited the city under construction a few times, but had mainly remained with Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrian to spend time with them, but also because Elleniel needed to reconnect with her brothers. As expected, her family had been very disappointed to hear that she would not live with them.

Glorfindel had sent a message a week before that their new talan was ready, and that the city now had all the necessary accommodations to welcome its Lady and her children. She had packed their belongings and organized their transport to Leithalond, before leaving on horseback to go to her new city.

Maewen, Rivalton and Elleniel could see the forest of great oaks where their new home was located. No houses could be seen near the forest line. In fact, had they not known that a city was located within that forest, they would never have thought elves were inhabiting this wilderness.

"We are finally staying for good, Nana? We are not just visiting?"

"Yes, Maewen. It is for good now."

"Is our house near the talan of Legolas and uncle Gimli?"

"I believe so. At least, that was the plan."

"And I will have my own room?"

"Yes, you will no longer share a room with your brother."

"Good. He does not stop touching my things and putting them in his mouth."

"Your brother is teething!" laughed Elleniel. "Have a little patience, you were no better when you were his age!"

As soon as they reached the forest line, a sentinel jumped down a tree and bowed to them.

"Lady Elleniel, Lady Maewen, little Lord Rivalton, it is a great honor to be on duty for your arrival. Many people are impatiently waiting for you, if I may add," the elf said with humor.

Elleniel inquired about the news, and made her way to the city, followed by her curious daughter who was looking everywhere and asking hundreds of questions about what she was seeing around her.

They reached a clearing, and Elleniel stopped dead, impressed by the progress made since her last visit three months past. There were a few one-story homes on the ground now, but most impressive were the telain that could be seen high in the trees, with the suspended bridges, flets and stairs going around the biggest trees. A few elves were walking on the main place, and smiled when they saw their Lady observing their accomplishments with wonder.

"Lady Elleniel, we were not expecting you until tomorrow!" said an elf who was now standing beside her horse.

"Silevon, I am speechless! Such progress in so short a period of time!"

"Yes," the ellon replied with pride. "We only have a few houses left to build for some Imladris elves who are more comfortable living on the ground than in the trees," he continued with a point of sarcasm. "The stables are further on your left, near the sawmill and the smithy."

"Could you tell me where my husband is?"

"In your talan, my Lady. He is probably having dinner with Lord Legolas and Lord Gimli as is their habit."

"Thank you, Silevon."

Elleniel knew her talan was a little isolated from the rest of the city, since she always had needed more privacy than most elves. She dismounted, and took Rivalton in her arms while Maewen dismounted too. They brought their horses to the stables, and walked to the other end of the city, where she could see a large talan with many windows, and large stairs encircling the large tree trunk on which the talan had been built. It was beautiful. And it was hers. Her first house.

They climbed the stairs, Elleniel slowly as she kept looking at the city, while Maewen simply ran in the stairs to meet the ellyn and dwarf in the talan.

"Ada!" she screamed. "We are here! We are moving here for good!" she screamed when she reached the balcony. The door opened swiftly and Glorfindel appeared on the doorstep.

"Maewen! You are here at last!" he said, lifting his daughter and holding her against his chest. "I missed you so, sweetheart!"

"Maewen?" she heard the dwarf call from inside the talan. She jumped out of her father's embrace and ran inside to see Legolas and Gimli.

"And where is my favorite little wizard?" asked Glorfindel from the balcony, watching Elleniel's progress in the stairs. He could see the faint glow of his wife and son as they were in contact.

"Have a little patience! Your son still does not walk, for your information!" Elleniel complained.

"Why is he my son when you list his shortcomings and yours when he impresses us?" Glorfindel replied, chuckling.

When she reached the talan, Glorfindel took her head in his hands and gave her a long kiss while Rivalton was trying to jump from her arms to his.

"Welcome to our home," Glorfindel told her. "Our home, Elleniel! Do you like the sound of that? Not a guest talan, not your father's home, our home."

"Feels wonderful, does it?"

"Yes, now come inside, dinner is ready. Not as nice as the feast we were planning for tomorrow but it will do! You arrived earlier than we expected."

* * *

><p>"You think we will be happy here?" Elleniel asked her husband that night as she was getting ready for bed.<p>

"My fëa is at peace. The only thing I now have to worry about is making sure you are the happiest elleth alive."

"But I am happy, Glorfindel. You have made me happy for more than 120 years."

"I am glad to hear that. Now that you are officially in our new realm, will you tell me what you read in Legolas' mind that made you decide to accept his proposal?"

"I know not if it is a good idea. You never stroke me as an ellon who could keep a secret."

"You surely are jesting!" he cried, insulted. She laughed out loud, happy to have gotten such a reaction out of him.

"Tell me," he insisted. "Is this a female story I would like to know about?" he asked, wondering about his friend's apparent lack of love affairs.

"Actually, it is..." Elleniel hesitated.

"Will he soon bring an elleth to live with him? He surely could not have done that in his father's realm without putting a ring around her finger!" Glorfindel replied with hilarity.

"Actually... He will not bring the elleth. I just did."

"What?" Glorfindel tried to understand the meaning behind her words.

"You heard me correctly."

"But, there are few ellith here, and all of them are already bound!"

"Except one..." she reminded him.

"But the only other female is..." He suddenly understood her meaning. "No! Maewen is still an elfling! I will strangle him! Wait until I get my hands around his wood elf neck..."

"Calm down, Glorfindel!" she snorted. "He does not even realize it yet. That day, in Alqualondë, I read deep in his fëa, like I had never done to anyone. Not even you. And I saw the connection he has with Maewen."

"Even when she reaches her majority, he will have to marry her before I allow anything to happen between them!" thundered Glorfindel.

"Clearly, your standards have changed in the past century, my beloved. I do not recall you offering me a ring before we made love in that river after my fight with a Nazgul."

"That was not the same!"

"No? Do you recall my father's anger? Would it not be similar to your own?"

"You were a mature warrior when we met! Even when she will be 50, Maewen will not have the maturity that you had back then. This is not the same. I will ask for a binding."

"Fine, do what you want. Just keep your mouth shut for another 35 years. Please Glorfindel, I do not want you to interfere. Legolas will not realize that she is his fëa-mate before decades. Please leave them in peace until then."

* * *

><p><em>House of Lord Elrond, year 181 of the Fourth Age<em>

"Maewen, I am binding myself to you for all eternity," Legolas said loudly and clearly as he was making his claim on the elleth who had made him wait far longer than he had anticipated before she had accepted his binding proposal.

Disregarding Glorfindel's demand for a binding, Maewen had made her intentions clear on the day of her coming of age, and had managed to get an overwhelmed Legolas in her bed that very night. That was 25 years before. They had been lovers for a quarter of a century, during which Legolas could not understand why Maewen was refusing to bind with him. Despite having known the prince for all her life, Maewen was cautious like her mother and did not give her full trust easily. She wanted to make sure that Legolas would never regret his decision of binding with an elleth that was so much younger than him.

"Legolas, I am binding myself to you for all eternity," Maewen murmured softly, her eyes never leaving his.

Lord Elrond, who was presiding over the ceremony, smiled to see his granddaughter shy and emotional for once. "I am happy to announce that Maewen and Legolas are now officially bound. May the sun shine on your union and the Valar protect you."

"I cannot believe I can call you my wife, at last!" Legolas whispered in Maewen's ear. Cupping her face with his hand, he kissed her deeply in front of their families and friends.

Glorfindel and Elleniel smiled to each other, knowing they were remembering how their binding had been different.

Rivalton and Elrohir were nearby, discussing a trip they were planning to soon make to Tirion. Elleniel's son and brother were close, and were very popular with the ellith of Tirion and Alqualondë. Rivalton's powers had been easily accepted by the people of Valinor, and he was using them shamelessly to get the attention of the most stunning she-elves.

"I cannot believe your son uses his magic to lure ellith in his bed," Echtelion whispered to Glorfindel. "You should have taught him better."

"This is Elrohir's doing! And I cannot believe ellith fall for it!" Glorfindel replied.

"Why are you surprised?" asked Elleniel. "Did you not fall in love with me when I used my magic on you for the first time?"

"What did you do?" asked Echtelion, curious. Glorfindel had never told him about that.

"I did something to his forehead..."

"What was that?"

"Don't you dare tell him!" Glorfindel threatened.

Caewil, holding hands with Elladan, asked Elleniel to tell her when they would be alone.

"I can tell you, I was there!" her husband told her, teasing his brother-in-law.

Lady Celebrian cleared her throat, effectively hushing her children, their spouses and her grandson who were misbehaving during such a serious ceremony. If the sight of Legolas kissing Maewen hungrily could still be considered a serious and formal ceremony.

Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel smiled, realizing that after all these years, their family had not changed at all.

The festivities lasted all night, even if the newlyweds had retired early in the evening. As Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrian made their way to their room, they saw Elleniel and Glorfindel hugging each other in a corner of the hallway to their room.

"I love you, Glorfindel. I am glad that you convinced me that we would be good parents back in Ithilien. It was the best decision we could take. The children you gave me filled our lives with joy."

"Now that the children are grown up, how about having another one?" the ellon proposed, kissing her neck and ear.

"We could think about it..." Elleniel moaned.

"I love you," the ellon whispered to his wife, kissing her lips lightly. "You are the most precious thing in my life."

"I am your preciousss?" Elleniel hissed, imitating the creature that had been a ring-bearer for centuries. Legolas dearly regretted ever describing Gollum's behaviors and speech to Elleniel, as she regularly teased him with her perfect impersonation.

Glorfindel snickered. "You can be such a mood killer, Elleniel Elrondiel!"

"You are right, Glorfindel!" Lord Elrond said out loud as he walked to them with his wife, making both Glorfindel and Elleniel jump with fright. "I know not how you can cope with one of my triplets as a spouse, Glorfindel! Please know that I have much compassion for you."

Lady Celebrian smiled to her blushing daughter, and dragged her husband to their room. Once in bed, Lord Elrond pulled his wife against his chest.

"They are fortunate that Maewen and Legolas will remain in Leithalond. Many parents see their daughters change realm when they bind...I am still grieving the fact that Elleniel is not living with us," Lord Elrond told his wife.

"They are lucky to still have Rivalton living under their roof," Celebrian replied. "I believe their son will be with them for centuries. Elrohir will certainly not teach him any differently," she continued, referring to their son's merry state of celibacy.

"I hope we will have a new grandchild soon. Do you think Glorfindel will convince her?"

"I hope so. But quit losing sleep over this, they have an eternity before them. We will live happily for an eternity too. Our children and grandchildren are with us in Valinor, and Arwen's fëa is in peace with Estel. This is what we have prayed for, Elrond, and the Valar answered our prayers. I am delighted, beloved, more than you will ever know."

Lady Celebrian had terribly suffered at the hands of orcs who had caught her and her escort while she traveled in Middle Earth. She had been separated from her family for centuries as a consequence. But these were unfortunate events that she had erased from her memory. Her healing was finally complete.

As the former Lord and Lady of Imladris fell asleep, the sun went up on the Undying Lands, where the Peredhil family would live in peace for many millennia to come...

_The End_


End file.
